JackReed

RüdigerLandmann

DavidCantrell

HansDe Goede

JonMasters

This manual explains how to boot the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 installation program (anaconda) and to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 on 32-bit and 64-bit x86 systems, 64-bit Power Systems servers, and IBM System z. It also covers advanced installation methods such as kickstart installations, PXE installations, and installations over VNC. Finally, it describes common post-installation tasks and explains how to troubleshoot installation problems.

Chapter 1. Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux

If you have a Red Hat subscription, you can download ISO image files of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 installation DVD from the Software & Download Center that is part of the Red Hat Customer Portal. If you do not already have a subscription, either purchase one or obtain a free evaluation subscription from the Software & Download Center at https://access.redhat.com/downloads.

The following table indicates the types of boot and installation media available for different architectures and notes the image file that you need to produce the media.

Table 1.1. Boot and installation media

Architecture

Installation DVD

Boot CD or boot DVD

Boot USB flash drive

Where variant is the variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (for example, server or workstation) and version is the latest version number (for example, 6.5).

A list of available downloads is displayed; most notably, a minimal Boot ISO image and a full installation Binary DVD ISO image. The Boot ISO is a minimal boot image which only contains the installer and requires a source to install packages from (such as an HTTP or FTP server). The Binary DVD download contains both the installer and necessary packages, and therefore requires less setup.

Additional images may be available, such as preconfigured virtual machine images, which are beyond the scope of this document.

Choose the image file that you want to use. There are several ways to download an ISO image from Red Hat Customer Portal:

Click its name to begin downloading it to your computer using your web browser.

Right-click the name and then click Copy Link Location or a similar menu item, the exact wording of which depends on the browser that you are using. This action copies the URL of the file to your clipboard, which allows you to use an alternative application to download the file to your computer. This approach is especially useful if your Internet connection is unstable: in that case, you browser may fail to download the whole file, and an attempt to resume the interrupted download process fails because the download link contains an authentication key which is only valid for a short time. Specialized applications such as curl can, however, be used to resume interrupted download attempts from the Customer Portal, which means that you need not download the whole file again and thus you save your time and bandwidth consumption.

Procedure 1.2. Using curl to Download Installation Media

Make sure the curl package is installed by running the following command as root:

# yum install curl

If your Linux distribution does not use yum, or if you do not use Linux at all, download the most appropriate software package from the curl website.

Open a terminal window, enter a suitable directory, and type the following command:

$ curl -o filename.iso 'copied_link_location'

Replace filename.iso with the ISO image name as displayed in the Customer Portal, such as rhel-server-6.9-x86_64-dvd.iso. This is important because the download link in the Customer Portal contains extra characters which curl would otherwise use in the downloaded file name, too. Then, keep the single quotation mark in front of the next parameter, and replace copied_link_location with the link that you have copied from the Customer Portal.

Note that in Linux, you can paste the content of the clipboard into the terminal window by middle-clicking anywhere in the window, or by pressing Shift+Insert. Finally, use another single quotation mark after the last parameter, and press Enter to run the command and start transferring the ISO image. The single quotation marks prevent the command line interpreter from misinterpreting any special characters that might be included in the download link.

Note that the actual download link is much longer because it contains complicated identifiers.

If your Internet connection does drop before the transfer is complete, refresh the download page in the Customer Portal; log in again if necessary. Copy the new download link, use the same basic curl command line parameters as earlier but be sure to use the new download link, and add -C - to instruct curl to automatically determine where it should continue based on the size of the already downloaded file.

Example 1.2. Resuming an interrupted download attempt

The following is an example of a curl command line that you use if you have only partially downloaded the ISO image of your choice:

Optionally, you can use a checksum utility such as sha256sum to verify the integrity of the image file after the download finishes. All downloads on the Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux page are provided with their checksums for reference:

Chapter 2. Making Media

Use the methods described in this section to create the following types of installation and boot media:

an installation DVD

a minimal boot CD or DVD that can boot the installer

a USB flash drive to boot the installer

2.1. Making an Installation DVD

You can make an installation DVD using the CD or DVD burning software on your computer.

Make sure that your disc burning software is capable of burning discs from image files. Although this is true of most disc burning software, exceptions exist. In particular, note that the disc burning feature built into Windows XP and Windows Vista cannot burn DVDs; and that earlier Windows operating systems did not have any disc burning capability installed by default at all. Therefore, if your computer has a Windows operating system prior to Windows 7 installed on it, you need separate software for this task. Examples of popular disc burning software for Windows that you might already have on your computer include Nero Burning ROM and Roxio Creator.

Most widely used disc burning software for Linux, such as Brasero and K3b has the built-in ability to burn discs from ISO image files.

The exact series of steps that produces a DVD from an ISO image file varies greatly from computer to computer, depending on the operating system and disc burning software installed. Consult your disc burning software's documentation for detailed information on burning DVDs.

2.2. Making Minimal Boot Media

A piece of minimal boot media is a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive that contains the software to boot the system and launch the installation program, but which does not contain the software that must be transferred to the system to create a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation.

Use minimal boot media:

to boot the system to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux over a network

to boot the system to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a hard drive

to commence a network or hard-drive installation or to use an anaconda update or a kickstart file with a DVD installation.

You can use minimal boot media to start the installation process on 32-bit x86 systems, AMD64 or Intel 64 systems, and Power Systems servers. The process by which you create minimal boot media for systems of these various types is identical except in the case of AMD64 and Intel 64 systems with UEFI firmware interfaces — refer to Section 2.2.2, “Minimal USB Boot Media for UEFI-based Systems”.

To make minimal boot media for 32-bit x86 systems, BIOS-based AMD64 or Intel 64 systems, and Power Systems servers:

Download the ISO image file named rhel-variant-version-architecture-boot.iso that is available at the same location as the images of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 installation DVD — refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Alternatively, transfer the .iso file to a USB device with the dd command. As the .iso file is only around 200 MB in size, you do not need an especially large USB flash drive.

2.2.1. Minimal USB Boot Media for BIOS-based Systems

Warning

When you perform this procedure any data on the USB flash drive is destroyed with no warning. Make sure that you specify the correct USB flash drive, and make sure that this flash drive does not contain any data that you want to keep.

Plug in your USB flash drive.

Find the flash drive's device name. If the media has a volume name, use it to look up the device name in /dev/disk/by-label, or use the findfs command:

findfs LABEL=MyLabel

If the media does not have a volume name or you do not know it, you can also use the dmesg command shortly after connecting the media to your computer. After running the command, the device name (such as sdb or sdc) should appear in several lines towards the end of the output.

Become root:

su -

Use the dd command to transfer the boot ISO image to the USB device:

# dd if=path/image_name.iso of=/dev/device

where path/image_name.iso is the boot ISO image file that you downloaded and device is the device name for the USB flash drive. Ensure you specify the device name (such as sdc), not the partition name (such as sdc1). For example:

# dd if=~/Downloads/RHEL6.9-Server-x86_64-boot.iso of=/dev/sdc

2.2.2. Minimal USB Boot Media for UEFI-based Systems

Warning

When you perform this procedure any data on the USB flash drive is destroyed with no warning. Make sure that you specify the correct USB flash drive, and make sure that this flash drive does not contain any data that you want to keep.

Where DVD.iso is the name of the ISO image file, for example RHEL6.9-Server-x86_64-DVD.iso.

Transfer efidisk.img from the ISO image file to your USB flash drive:

# dd if=/mnt/dvdiso/images/efidisk.img of=/dev/device_name

For example:

# dd if=/mnt/dvdiso/images/efidisk.img of=/dev/sdc

Note

Use the dd command to write the image file directly to the device. Using cp to copy the file or transferring the file using a file manager will make the device unbootable.

Unmount the ISO image file:

# umount /mnt/dvdiso

2.3. Creating a USGCB-compliant Installation Image

The scap-security-guide package in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 contains a specialized Kickstart file, which can be used to install a hardened system conforming to the United States Government Configuration Baseline (USGCB) standard. This is useful in cases where compliance with this standard is required by government regulations.

This Kickstart configuration can be used with the Server variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. If used, the system will be automatically configured by OpenSCAP to be USGCB profile compliant as part of the post-installation script. After the installation finishes, you can review a report placed in the /root/ directory on the installed system.

Note

The Kickstart file provided by scap-security-guide contains all required commands, making the installation completely automatic.

Also note that the Kickstart file requires access to the internet during the installation in order to download the latest benchmark.

To obtain the Kickstart file, install the scap-security-guide package on an existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 system. Once the package is installed, you can find the Kickstart file at /usr/share/scap-security-guide/kickstart/ssg-rhel6-usgcb-server-with-gui-ks.cfg.

After obtaining the file, copy it into your home directory and edit it using a plain text editor. Use Section 32.4, “Kickstart Options” and comments in the file for reference. Some of the comments mention Common Configuration Enumeration (CCE) identifier numbers; you can find information about these at the CCE Archive.

Notable parts of the Kickstart file which can be changed are:

Package repository location - the url command. To use a package repository on an HTTP or FTP server, replace the default IP address with an address of a server containing a package repository. Replace this command with one of nfs, cdrom, or harddrive to install from a NFS server, optical drive, or local hard drive, respectively.

System language, keyboard layout, and time zone - the lang, keyboard and timezone commands.

Root password - the rootpw command. By default, the root password configured in this Kickstart is "server". Make sure to generate a new checksum and change it.

Boot loader password - the bootloader --password= command. The default password is "password". Make sure to generate a new checksum and change it.

Network configuration - the network command. Automatic configuration using DHCP is enabled by default - adjust the settings if necessary.

Package selection - modify the %packages section of the file to install packages and groups you need.

Important

Packages git, aide and openscap-utils must always be installed. They are required for the Kickstart file and post installation OpenSCAP system evaluation to work.

Disk partitioning layout - the part, volgroup and logvol commands.

The USGCB standard defines concrete requirements for a compliant system's disk layout, which means that the logical volumes defined in the default Kickstart file - /home, /tmp, /var, /var/log, and /var/log/audit - must always be created as separate partitions or logical volumes. Additionally, Red Hat Enterprise Linux requires you to create a /boot physical partition and volumes for / and swap. These are all defined in the default Kickstart; you can add additional separate logical volumes or partitions, and you can change the sizes of the default ones.

Note

By default, the /var/log/audit volume only takes up 512 MB of space. Due to the high number of calls being audited, it is highly recommended to increase its size to at least 1024 MB.

Part I. x86, AMD64, and Intel 64 — Installation and Booting

This part of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide for Intel and AMD 32-bit and 64-bit systems discusses the installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and some basic post-installation troubleshooting.

Chapter 3. Planning for Installation on the x86 Architecture

3.1. Upgrade or Install?

There are two procedures available for upgrading your current system to the next major version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. To decide which procedure is the right one for your system, read the following descriptions:

Clean Install

A clean install is performed by backing up all data from the system, formatting disk partitions, performing an installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 from installation media, and then restoring any user data.

Note

This is the recommended method for upgrading between major versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

In-Place Upgrade

An in-place upgrade is a way of upgrading your system without removing the older version first. The procedure requires installing the migration utilities available for your system and running them as any other software. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the Preupgrade Assistant assesses your current system and identifies potential problems you might encounter during and/or after the upgrade. It also performs minor fixes and modifications to the system. The Red Hat Upgrade Tool utility downloads the packages and performs the actual upgrade. An in-place upgrade requires a lot of troubleshooting and planning and should only be done if there is no other choice. For more information on the Preupgrade Assistant, see Chapter 37, Upgrading Your Current System.

Warning

Never perform an in-place upgrade on a production system without first testing it on a cloned backup copy of the system.

3.2. Is Your Hardware Compatible?

Hardware compatibility is particularly important if you have an older system or a system that you built yourself. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 should be compatible with most hardware in systems that were factory built within the last two years.

However, hardware specifications change almost daily, so it is difficult to guarantee that your hardware is 100% compatible.

One consistent requirement is your processor. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 supports, at minimum, all 32-bit and 64-bit implementations of Intel microarchitecture from P6 and onwards and AMD microarchitecture from Athlon and onwards.

3.3. Hardware Requirements

For a list of minimum hardware requirements of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux technology capabilities and limits page. Also note that the minimum memory requirements listed on that page assume that you create a swap space based on the recommendations in Section 9.15.5, “Recommended Partitioning Scheme”. Systems with low memory (1 GB and less) and less than the recommended amount of swap space may have issues ranging from low responsivity up to and including complete inability to boot after the installation.

Hard drives connected by a standard internal interface, such as SCSI, SATA, or SAS

BIOS/firmware RAID devices

Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters and multipath devices are also supported. Vendor-provided drivers may be required for certain hardware.

Red Hat does not support installation to USB drives or SD memory cards.

Red Hat also supports installations that use the following virtualization technologies:

Xen block devices on Intel processors in Xen virtual machines.

VirtIO block devices on Intel processors in KVM virtual machines.

3.4. RAID and Other Disk Devices

Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 uses mdraid instead of dmraid for installation onto Intel BIOS RAID sets. These sets are detected automatically, and devices with Intel ISW metadata are recognized as mdraid instead of dmraid. Note that the device node names of any such devices under mdraid are different from their device node names under dmraid. Therefore, special precautions are necessary when you migrate systems with Intel BIOS RAID sets.

Local modifications to /etc/fstab, /etc/crypttab or other configuration files which refer to devices by their device node names will not work in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. Before migrating these files, you must therefore edit them to replace device node paths with device UUIDs instead. You can find the UUIDs of devices with the blkid command.

3.4.1. Hardware RAID

RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, allows a group, or array, of drives to act as a single device. Configure any RAID functions provided by the mainboard of your computer, or attached controller cards, before you begin the installation process. Each active RAID array appears as one drive within Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

On systems with more than one hard drive you may configure Red Hat Enterprise Linux to operate several of the drives as a Linux RAID array without requiring any additional hardware.

3.4.3. FireWire and USB Disks

Some FireWire and USB hard disks may not be recognized by the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation system. If configuration of these disks at installation time is not vital, disconnect them to avoid any confusion.

Note

You can connect and configure external FireWire and USB hard disks after installation. Most such devices are automatically recognized and available for use once connected.

3.5. Notes on UEFI Support

3.5.1. Feature Support

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 supports both BIOS and UEFI firmware on AMD64 and Intel 64 systems (x86_64). UEFI-based systems are supported with the following limitations:

The system must support UEFI Specification 2.0 or later. Earlier revisions are not supported.

The Secure Boot technology is not supported, and will prevent Red Hat Enterprise Linux from being installed. Systems using UEFI Specification 2.2 or later must have Secure Boot disabled in order to install and run Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9.

Systems using UEFI 2.0 later with Secure Boot disabled (if present) can install and boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux without issues, although not all features in the relevant UEFI specification are supported.

3.5.2. Disk Drives with MBR on UEFI Systems

Systems with UEFI firmware require a disk with a GUID Partition Table (GPT). When installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a disk with a Master Boot Record (MBR; sometimes also called msdos) label, the disk must be relabeled. This means you can not reuse existing partitions on a MBR-partitioned disk, and all data on the disk will be lost. Make sure to back up all data on the drive before installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

A GUID Partition Table is only required on the system's boot drive - the disk where the boot loader is installed. Other drives can be labeled with a Master Boot Record and their partition layout can be reused.

There are several ways to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on an UEFI system and use a drive which has a Master Boot Record. You can:

Attach the drive to an existing Linux system and use an utility such as parted or fdisk to create a GPT label on the drive. For example, to create a GPT label on disk /dev/sdc using parted, use the following command:

#parted /dev/sdc mklabel gpt

Warning

Make sure you specify the correct drive. Relabeling a disk will destroy all data on it, and parted will not ask you for a confirmation.

Perform an automated Kickstart installation, and use the clearpart and zerombr commands. If your system uses UEFI firmware, using these commands on the boot drive will relabel it with a GPT.

During a manual installation in the graphical user interface, when you get to the partitioning screen. Select an option other than custom partitioning (for example Use All Space). Make sure to check the Review and modify partitioning layout check box, and click Next.

On the following screen, modify the automatically created layout so it suits your needs. After you finish and click Next, Anaconda will use your layout and relabel the drive automatically.

3.6. Do You Have Enough Disk Space?

Nearly every modern-day operating system (OS) uses disk partitions, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux is no exception. When you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you may have to work with disk partitions. If you have not worked with disk partitions before (or need a quick review of the basic concepts), refer to Appendix A, An Introduction to Disk Partitions before proceeding.

The disk space used by Red Hat Enterprise Linux must be separate from the disk space used by other OSes you may have installed on your system, such as Windows, OS/2, or even a different version of Linux. For x86, AMD64, and Intel 64 systems, at least two partitions (/ and swap) must be dedicated to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Before you start the installation process, you must

have enough unpartitioned[1] disk space for the installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or

have one or more partitions that may be deleted, thereby freeing up enough disk space to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

If you booted the installation from a piece of media other than the installation DVD, you can specify the DVD as the installation source with the linux askmethod or linux repo=cdrom:device:/device boot option, or by selecting Local CD/DVD on the Installation Method menu (refer to Section 8.3, “Installation Method”).

Hard Drive

If you have copied the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ISO images to a local hard drive, you can use this method. You need a boot CD-ROM (use the linux askmethod or linux repo=hd:device:/path boot option), or by selecting Hard drive on the Installation Method menu (refer to Section 8.3, “Installation Method”). Refer to Section 8.3.2, “Installing from a Hard Drive”, for hard drive installation instructions.

NFS

If you are installing from an NFS server using ISO images or a mirror image of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can use this method. You need a boot CD-ROM (use the linux askmethod or linux repo=nfs:server:options:/path boot option, or the NFS directory option on the Installation Method menu described in Section 8.3, “Installation Method”). Refer to Section 8.3.4, “Installing via NFS” for network installation instructions. Note that NFS installations may also be performed in GUI mode.

URL

If you are installing directly from an HTTP or HTTPS (Web) server or an FTP server, use this method. You need a boot CD-ROM (use the linux askmethod, linux repo=ftp://user:password@host/path, or linux repo=http://host/path boot option, or linux repo=https://host/path boot option,or the URL option on the Installation Method menu described in Section 8.3, “Installation Method”). Refer to Section 8.3.5, “Installing via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS”, for FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS installation instructions.

If you booted the distribution DVD and did not use the alternate installation source option askmethod, the next stage loads automatically from the DVD. Proceed to Section 8.2, “Language Selection”.

Note

If you boot from a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD, the installation program loads its next stage from that disc. This happens regardless of which installation method you choose, unless you eject the disc before you proceed. The installation program still downloads package data from the source you choose.

3.8. Choose a Boot Method

You can use several methods to boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Installing from a DVD requires that you have purchased a Red Hat Enterprise Linux product, you have a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 DVD, and you have a DVD drive on a system that supports booting from it. Refer to Chapter 2, Making Media for instructions to make an installation DVD.

Other than booting from an installation DVD, you can also boot the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program from minimal boot media in the form of a bootable CD or USB flash drive. After you boot the system with a piece of minimal boot media, you complete the installation from a different installation source, such as a local hard drive or a location on a network. Refer to Section 2.2, “Making Minimal Boot Media” for instructions on making boot CDs and USB flash drives.

Finally, you can boot the installer over the network from a preboot execution environment (PXE) server. Refer to Chapter 30, Setting Up an Installation Server. Again, after you boot the system, you complete the installation from a different installation source, such as a local hard drive or a location on a network.

[1]
Unpartitioned disk space means that available disk space on the hard drives you are installing to has not been divided into sections for data. When you partition a disk, each partition behaves like a separate disk drive.

Chapter 4. Preparing for Installation

4.1. Preparing for a Network Installation

Note

Make sure no installation DVD (or any other type of DVD or CD) is in your system's CD or DVD drive if you are performing a network-based installation. Having a DVD or CD in the drive might cause unexpected errors.

Ensure that you have boot media available on CD, DVD, or a USB storage device such as a flash drive.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation medium must be available for either a network installation (via NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS) or installation via local storage. Use the following steps if you are performing an NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS installation.

The NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server to be used for installation over the network must be a separate, network-accessible server. It must provide the complete contents of the installation DVD-ROM.

Note

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt:

linux mediacheck

Note

The public directory used to access the installation files over FTP, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS is mapped to local storage on the network server. For example, the local directory /var/www/inst/rhel6.9 on the network server can be accessed as http://network.server.com/inst/rhel6.9.

In the following examples, the directory on the installation staging server that will contain the installation files will be specified as /location/of/disk/space. The directory that will be made publicly available via FTP, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS will be specified as /publicly_available_directory. For example, /location/of/disk/space may be a directory you create called /var/isos. /publicly_available_directory might be /var/www/html/rhel6.9, for an HTTP install.

In the following, you will require an ISO image. An ISO image is a file containing an exact copy of the content of a DVD. To create an ISO image from a DVD use the following command:

dd if=/dev/dvd of=/path_to_image/name_of_image.iso

where dvd is your DVD drive device, name_of_image is the name you give to the resulting ISO image file, and path_to_image is the path to the location on your system where the resulting ISO image will be stored.

Extract the files from the ISO image of the installation DVD and place them in a directory that is shared over FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS.

Next, make sure that the directory is shared via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS, and verify client access. Test to see whether the directory is accessible from the server itself, and then from another machine on the same subnet to which you will be installing.

4.1.2. Preparing for an NFS Installation

For NFS installation it is not necessary to extract all the files from the ISO image. It is sufficient to make the ISO image itself, the install.img file, and optionally the product.img file available on the network server via NFS.

Transfer the ISO image to the NFS exported directory. On a Linux system, run:

mv /path_to_image/name_of_image.iso /publicly_available_directory/

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and publicly_available_directory is a directory that is available over NFS or that you intend to make available over NFS.

Use a SHA256 checksum program to verify that the ISO image that you copied is intact. Many SHA256 checksum programs are available for various operating systems. On a Linux system, run:

$ sha256sum name_of_image.iso

where name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file. The SHA256 checksum program displays a string of 64 characters called a hash. Compare this hash to the hash displayed for this particular image on the Downloads page in the Red Hat Customer Portal (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). The two hashes should be identical.

Copy the images/ directory from inside the ISO image to the same directory in which you stored the ISO image file itself. Enter the following commands:

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and mount_point is a mount point on which to mount the image while you copy files from the image. For example:

The ISO image file and an images/ directory are now present, side-by-side, in the same directory.

Verify that the images/ directory contains at least the install.img file, without which installation cannot proceed. Optionally, the images/ directory should contain the product.img file, without which only the packages for a Minimal installation will be available during the package group selection stage (refer to Section 9.17, “Package Group Selection”).

Important

install.img and product.img must be the only files in the images/ directory.

Ensure that an entry for the publicly available directory exists in the /etc/exports file on the network server so that the directory is available via NFS.

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt:

linux mediacheck

4.2. Preparing for a Hard Drive Installation

Note

Hard drive installations only work from ext2, ext3, ext4, or FAT file systems. You cannot use a hard drives formatted for any other file system as an installation source for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

To check the file system of a hard drive partition on a Windows operating system, use the Disk Management tool. To check the file system of a hard drive partition on a Linux operating system, use the fdisk tool.

Important

You cannot use ISO files on partitions controlled by LVM (Logical Volume Management).

Use this option to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on systems without a DVD drive or network connection.

Hard drive installations use the following files:

an ISO image of the installation DVD. An ISO image is a file that contains an exact copy of the content of a DVD.

an install.img file extracted from the ISO image.

optionally, a product.img file extracted from the ISO image.

With these files present on a hard drive, you can choose Hard drive as the installation source when you boot the installation program (refer to Section 8.3, “Installation Method”).

Ensure that you have boot media available on CD, DVD, or a USB storage device such as a flash drive.

To prepare a hard drive as an installation source, follow these steps:

Obtain an ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). Alternatively, if you have the DVD on physical media, you can create an image of it with the following command on a Linux system:

dd if=/dev/dvd of=/path_to_image/name_of_image.iso

where dvd is your DVD drive device, name_of_image is the name you give to the resulting ISO image file, and path_to_image is the path to the location on your system where the resulting ISO image will be stored.

Transfer the ISO image to the hard drive.

The ISO image must be located on a hard drive that is either internal to the computer on which you will install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or on a hard drive that is attached to that computer by USB.

Use a SHA256 checksum program to verify that the ISO image that you copied is intact. Many SHA256 checksum programs are available for various operating systems. On a Linux system, run:

$ sha256sum name_of_image.iso

where name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file. The SHA256 checksum program displays a string of 64 characters called a hash. Compare this hash to the hash displayed for this particular image on the Downloads page in the Red Hat Customer Portal (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). The two hashes should be identical.

Copy the images/ directory from inside the ISO image to the same directory in which you stored the ISO image file itself. Enter the following commands:

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and mount_point is a mount point on which to mount the image while you copy files from the image. For example:

The ISO image file and an images/ directory are now present, side-by-side, in the same directory.

Verify that the images/ directory contains at least the install.img file, without which installation cannot proceed. Optionally, the images/ directory should contain the product.img file, without which only the packages for a Minimal installation will be available during the package group selection stage (refer to Section 9.17, “Package Group Selection”).

Important

install.img and product.img must be the only files in the images/ directory.

Note

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt:

linux mediacheck

Chapter 5. System Specifications List

The installation program automatically detects and installs your computer's hardware. Although you should make sure that your hardware meets the minimum requirements to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux (refer to Section 3.2, “Is Your Hardware Compatible?”) you do not usually need to supply the installation program with any specific details about your system.

However, when performing certain types of installation, some specific details might be useful or even essential.

If you plan to use a customized partition layout, record:

The model numbers, sizes, types, and interfaces of the hard drives attached to the system. For example, Seagate ST3320613AS 320 GB on SATA0, Western Digital WD7500AAKS 750 GB on SATA1. This will allow you to identify specific hard drives during the partitioning process.

If you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux as an additional operating system on an existing system, record:

The mount points of the existing partitions on the system. For example, /boot on sda1, / on sda2, and /home on sdb1. This will allow you to identify specific partitions during the partitioning process.

If you plan to install from an image on a local hard drive:

The hard drive and directory that holds the image.

If you plan to install from a network location, or install on an iSCSI target:

The make and model numbers of the network adapters on your system. For example, Netgear GA311. This will allow you to identify adapters when manually configuring the network.

IP, DHCP, and BOOTP addresses

Netmask

Gateway IP address

One or more name server IP addresses (DNS)

If any of these networking requirements or terms are unfamiliar to you, contact your network administrator for assistance.

In most cases, Red Hat Enterprise Linux already includes drivers for the devices that make up your system. However, if your system contains hardware that has been released very recently, drivers for this hardware might not yet be included. Sometimes, a driver update that provides support for a new device might be available from Red Hat or your hardware vendor on a driver disc that contains rpm packages. Typically, the driver disc is available for download as an ISO image file.

Often, you do not need the new hardware during the installation process. For example, if you use a DVD to install to a local hard drive, the installation will succeed even if drivers for your network card are not available. In situations like this, complete the installation and add support for the piece of hardware afterward — refer to Section 35.1.1, “Driver Update rpm Packages” for details of adding this support.

In other situations, you might want to add drivers for a device during the installation process to support a particular configuration. For example, you might want to install drivers for a network device or a storage adapter card to give the installer access to the storage devices that your system uses. You can use a driver disc to add this support during installation in one of two ways:

place the ISO image file of the driver disc in a location accessible to the installer:

If Red Hat, your hardware vendor, or a trusted third party told you that you will require a driver update during the installation process, choose a method to supply the update from the methods described in this chapter and test it before beginning the installation. Conversely, do not perform a driver update during installation unless you are certain that your system requires it. Although installing an unnecessary driver update will not cause harm, the presence of a driver on a system for which it was not intended can complicate support.

6.1. Limitations of Driver Updates During Installation

Unfortunately, some situations persist in which you cannot use a driver update to provide drivers during installation:

Devices already in use

You cannot use a driver update to replace drivers that the installation program has already loaded. Instead, you must complete the installation with the drivers that the installation program loaded and update to the new drivers after installation, or, if you need the new drivers for the installation process, consider performing an initial RAM disk driver update — refer to Section 6.2.3, “Preparing an Initial RAM Disk Update”.

Devices with an equivalent device available

Because all devices of the same type are initialized together, you cannot update drivers for a device if the installation program has loaded drivers for a similar device. For example, consider a system that has two different network adapters, one of which has a driver update available. The installation program will initialize both adapters at the same time, and therefore, you will not be able to use this driver update. Again, complete the installation with the drivers loaded by the installation program and update to the new drivers after installation, or use an initial RAM disk driver update.

6.2. Preparing for a Driver Update During Installation

If a driver update is necessary and available for your hardware, Red Hat or a trusted third party such as the hardware vendor will typically provide it in the form of an image file in ISO format. Some methods of performing a driver update require you to make the image file available to the installation program, while others require you to use the image file to make a driver update disk:

6.2.1. Preparing to Use a Driver Update Image File

6.2.1.1. Preparing to use an image file on local storage

To make the ISO image file available on local storage, such as a hard drive or USB flash drive, you must first determine whether you want to install the updates automatically or select them manually.

For manual installations, copy the file onto the storage device. You can rename the file if you find it helpful to do so, but you must not change the filename extension, which must remain .iso. In the following example, the file is named dd.iso:

Note that if you use this method, the storage device will contain only a single file. This differs from driver discs on formats such as CD and DVD, which contain many files. The ISO image file contains all of the files that would normally be on a driver disc.

For automatic installations, you will need to extract the ISO to the root directory of the storage device rather than copy it. Copying the ISO is only effective for manual installations. You must also change the file system label of the device to OEMDRV.

6.2.2. Preparing a Driver Disc

You can create a driver update disc on CD or DVD.

6.2.2.1. Creating a driver update disc on CD or DVD

Important

CD/DVD Creator is part of the GNOME desktop. If you use a different Linux desktop, or a different operating system altogether, you will need to use another piece of software to create the CD or DVD. The steps will be generally similar.

Make sure that the software that you choose can create CDs or DVDs from image files. While this is true of most CD and DVD burning software, exceptions exist. Look for a button or menu entry labeled burn from image or similar. If your software lacks this feature, or you do not select it, the resulting disc will hold only the image file itself, instead of the contents of the image file.

Use the desktop file manager to locate the ISO image file of the driver disc, supplied to you by Red Hat or your hardware vendor.

Figure 6.2. A typical .iso file displayed in a file manager window

Right-click on this file and choose Write to disc. You will see a window similar to the following:

Figure 6.3. CD/DVD Creator's Write to Disc dialog

Click the Write button. If a blank disc is not already in the drive, CD/DVD Creator will prompt you to insert one.

After you burn a driver update disc CD or DVD, verify that the disc was created successfully by inserting it into your system and browsing to it using the file manager. You should see a single file named rhdd3 and a directory named rpms:

Figure 6.4. Contents of a typical driver update disc on CD or DVD

If you see only a single file ending in .iso, then you have not created the disc correctly and should try again. Ensure that you choose an option similar to burn from image if you use a Linux desktop other than GNOME or if you use a different operating system.

6.2.3. Preparing an Initial RAM Disk Update

Important

This is an advanced procedure that you should consider only if you cannot perform a driver update with any other method.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program can load updates for itself early in the installation process from a RAM disk — an area of your computer's memory that temporarily behaves as if it were a disk. You can use this same capability to load driver updates. To perform a driver update during installation, your computer must be able to boot from a preboot execution environment (PXE) server, and you must have a PXE server available on your network. Refer to Chapter 30, Setting Up an Installation Server for instructions on using PXE during installation.

To make the driver update available on your PXE server:

Place the driver update image file on your installation server. Usually, you would do this by downloading it to the server from a location on the Internet specified by Red Hat or your hardware vendor. Names of driver update image files end in .iso.

Copy the driver update image file into the /tmp/initrd_update directory.

Rename the driver update image file to dd.img.

At the command line, change into the /tmp/initrd_update directory, type the following command, and press Enter:

find . | cpio --quiet -o -H newc | gzip -9 >/tmp/initrd_update.img

Copy the file /tmp/initrd_update.img into the directory the holds the target that you want to use for installation. This directory is placed under the /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/ directory. For example, /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/rhel6/ might hold the PXE target for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

Edit the /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/pxelinux.cfg/default file to include an entry that includes the initial RAM disk update that you just created, in the following format:

In this example, driver_update.iso is a driver update image file that you downloaded from the Internet to a directory on your PXE server. The target that you want to PXE boot from is located in /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/rhel6/

At the command line, change to the directory that holds the file and enter the following commands:

6.3. Performing a Driver Update During Installation

You can perform a driver update during installation in the following ways:

let the installer automatically find a driver update disk.

let the installer prompt you for a driver update.

use a boot option to specify a driver update disk.

6.3.1. Let the Installer Find a Driver Update Disk Automatically

Attach a block device with the filesystem label OEMDRV before starting the installation process. The installer will automatically examine the device and load any driver updates that it detects and will not prompt you during the process. Refer to Section 6.2.1.1, “Preparing to use an image file on local storage” to prepare a storage device for the installer to find.

6.3.2. Let the Installer Prompt You for a Driver Update

Begin the installation normally for whatever method you have chosen. If the installer cannot load drivers for a piece of hardware that is essential for the installation process (for example, if it cannot detect any network or storage controllers), it prompts you to insert a driver update disk:

6.3.3. Use a Boot Option to Specify a Driver Update Disk

This method only works to introduce completely new drivers, not to update existing drivers.

Type linux dd at the boot prompt at the start of the installation process and press Enter. The installer prompts you to confirm that you have a driver disk:

Figure 6.6. The driver disk prompt

Insert the driver update disk that you created on CD, DVD, or USB flash drive and select Yes. The installer examines the storage devices that it can detect. If there is only one possible location that could hold a driver disk (for example, the installer detects the presence of a DVD drive, but no other storage devices) it will automatically load any driver updates that it finds at this location.

6.3.4. Select a PXE Target that Includes a Driver Update

Select network boot in your computer's BIOS or boot menu. The procedure to specify this option varies widely among different computers. Consult your hardware documentation or the hardware vendor for specifics relevant to your computer.

In the preboot execution environment (PXE), choose the boot target that you prepared on your PXE server. For example, if you labeled this environment rhel6-dd in the /var/lib/tftpboot/pxelinux/pxelinux.cfg/default file on your PXE server, type rhel6-dd at the prompt and press Enter.

6.4. Specifying the Location of a Driver Update Image File or a Driver Update Disk

If the installer detects more than one possible device that could hold a driver update, it prompts you to select the correct device. If you are not sure which option represents the device on which the driver update is stored, try the various options in order until you find the correct one.

Figure 6.7. Selecting a driver disk source

If the device that you choose contains no suitable update media, the installer will prompt you to make another choice.

If you made a driver update disk on CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, the installer now loads the driver update. However, if the device that you selected is a type of device that could contain more than one partition (whether the device currently has more than one partition or not), the installer might prompt you to select the partition that holds the driver update.

Figure 6.8. Selecting a driver disk partition

The installer prompts you to specify which file contains the driver update:

Figure 6.9. Selecting an ISO image

Expect to see these screens if you stored the driver update on an internal hard drive or on a USB storage device. You should not see them if the driver update is on a CD or DVD.

Regardless of whether you are providing a driver update in the form of an image file or with a driver update disk, the installer now copies the appropriate update files into a temporary storage area (located in system RAM and not on disk). The installer might ask whether you would like to use additional driver updates. If you select Yes, you can load additional updates in turn. When you have no further driver updates to load, select No. If you stored the driver update on removable media, you can now safely eject or disconnect the disk or device. The installer no longer requires the driver update, and you can re-use the media for other purposes.

Chapter 7. Booting the Installer

7.1. Starting the Installation Program

Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 does not support UEFI for 32-bit x86 systems.

On 64-bit systems, boot configurations of UEFI and BIOS differ significantly from each other. Therefore, the installed system must boot using the same firmware that was used during installation. You cannot install the operating system on a system that uses BIOS and then boot this installation on a system that uses UEFI.

To start, first make sure that you have all necessary resources for the installation. If you have already read through Chapter 3, Planning for Installation on the x86 Architecture, and followed the instructions, you should be ready to start the installation process. When you have verified that you are ready to begin, boot the installation program using the Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD or any boot media that you have created.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 does not support UEFI for 32-bit x86 systems.

On 64-bit systems, boot configurations of UEFI and BIOS differ significantly from each other. Therefore, the installed system must boot using the same firmware that was used during installation. You cannot install the operating system on a system that uses BIOS and then boot this installation on a system that uses UEFI.

To start the installation program from a Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD or from minimal boot media, follow this procedure:

You might need to press a specific key or combination of keys to boot from the media. On most computers, a message appears briefly on the screen very soon after you turn on the computer. Typically, it is worded something like Press F10 to select boot device, although the specific wording and the key that you must press varies widely from computer to computer. Consult the documentation for your computer or motherboard, or seek support from the hardware manufacturer or vendor.

If your computer does not allow you to select a boot device as it starts up, you might need to configure your system's Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) to boot from the media.

To change your BIOS settings on an x86, AMD64, or Intel 64 system, watch the instructions provided on your display when your computer first boots. A line of text appears, telling you which key to press to enter the BIOS settings.

Once you have entered your BIOS setup program, find the section where you can alter your boot sequence. The default is often C, A or A, C (depending on whether you boot from your hard drive [C] or a diskette drive [A]). Change this sequence so that the DVD is first in your boot order and that C or A (whichever is your typical boot default) is second. This instructs the computer to first look at the DVD drive for bootable media; if it does not find bootable media on the DVD drive, it then checks your hard drive or diskette drive.

Save your changes before exiting the BIOS. For more information, refer to the documentation that came with your system.

After a short delay, the graphical boot screen appears, which contains information on a variety of boot options. Installation program automatically begins if you take no action within the first minute. For a description of the options available on this screen, refer to Section 7.1.2, “The Boot Menu”.

Excessive input (e.g. clicking the mouse repeatedly) during the boot sequence may cause the installer to ignore keyboard input later in the installation process.

7.1.2. The Boot Menu

The boot media displays a graphical boot menu with several options. If no key is hit within 60 seconds, the default boot option runs. To choose the default, either wait for the timer to run out or hit Enter on the keyboard. To select a different option than the default, use the arrow keys on your keyboard, and hit Enter when the correct option is highlighted. If you want to customize the boot options for a particular option, press the Tab key. To access the boot: prompt at which you can specify custom boot options, press the Esc key and refer to Section 7.1.3, “Additional Boot Options”.

This option is the default. Choose this option to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux onto your computer system using the graphical installation program.

Install system with basic video driver

This option allows you to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in graphical mode even if the installation program is unable to load the correct driver for your video card. If your screen appears distorted or goes blank when using the Install or upgrade an existing system option, restart your computer and try this option instead.

Rescue installed system

Choose this option to repair a problem with your installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux system that prevents you from booting normally. Although Red Hat Enterprise Linux is an exceptionally stable computing platform, it is still possible for occasional problems to occur that prevent booting. The rescue environment contains utility programs that allow you fix a wide variety of these problems.

Boot from local drive

This option boots the system from the first installed disk. If you booted this disc accidentally, use this option to boot from the hard disk immediately without starting the installer.

Note

To abort the installation, either press Ctrl+Alt+Del or power off your computer with the power switch. You may abort the installation process without consequence at any time prior to selecting Write changes to disk on the Write partitioning to disk screen. Red Hat Enterprise Linux makes no permanent changes to your computer until that point. Please be aware that stopping the installation after partitioning has begun can leave your computer unusable.

7.1.3. Additional Boot Options

While it is easiest to boot using a DVD and perform a graphical installation, sometimes there are installation scenarios where booting in a different manner may be needed. This section discusses additional boot options available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

To pass options to the boot loader on an x86, AMD64, or Intel 64 system, press the Esc key at boot time. The boot: prompt appears, at which you can use the boot loader options described below.

To perform a text mode installation, at the installation boot prompt, type:

linux text

To specify an installation source, use the linux repo= option. For example:

linux repo=cdrom:device

linux repo=ftp://username:password@URL

linux repo=http://URL

linux repo=hd:device

linux repo=nfs:options:server:/path

linux repo=nfsiso:options:server:/path

In these examples, cdrom refers to a CD or DVD drive, ftp refers to a location accessible by FTP, http refers to a location accessible by HTTP, hd refers to an ISO image file accessible on a hard drive partition, nfs refers to an expanded tree of installation files accessible by NFS, and nfsiso refers to an ISO image file accessible by NFS.

ISO images have an SHA256 checksum embedded in them. To test the checksum integrity of an ISO image, at the installation boot prompt, type:

linux mediacheck

The installation program prompts you to insert a DVD or select an ISO image to test, and select OK to perform the checksum operation. This checksum operation can be performed on any Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD. It is strongly recommended to perform this operation on any Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD that was created from downloaded ISO images. This command works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods.

If you need to perform the installation in serial mode, type the following command:

linux console=<device>

For text mode installations, use:

linux text console=<device>

In the above command, <device> should be the device you are using (such as ttyS0 or ttyS1). For example, linux text console=ttyS0.

Text mode installations using a serial terminal work best when the terminal supports UTF-8. Under UNIX and Linux, Kermit supports UTF-8. For Windows, Kermit '95 works well. Non-UTF-8 capable terminals works as long as only English is used during the installation process. An enhanced serial display can be used by passing the utf8 command as a boot-time option to the installation program. For example:

linux console=ttyS0 utf8

7.1.3.1. Kernel Options

Options can also be passed to the kernel. For example, to apply updates for the anaconda installation program from a USB storage device enter:

linux updates

For text mode installations, use:

linux text updates

This command results in a prompt for the path to the device that contains updates for anaconda. It is not needed if you are performing a network installation and have already placed the updates image contents in rhupdates/ on the server.

7.2. Installing from a Different Source

You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from the ISO images stored on hard disk, or from a network using NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS methods. Experienced users frequently use one of these methods because it is often faster to read data from a hard disk or network server than from a DVD.

The following table summarizes the different boot methods and recommended installation methods to use with each:

Configure the computer to boot from the network interface. This option is in the BIOS, and may be labeled Network Boot or Boot Services. Once you properly configure PXE booting, the computer can boot the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation system without any other media.

To boot a computer from a PXE server:

Ensure that the network cable is attached. The link indicator light on the network socket should be lit, even if the computer is not switched on.

Switch on the computer.

A menu screen appears. Press the number key that corresponds to the desired option.

If your PC does not boot from the netboot server, ensure that the BIOS is configured to boot first from the correct network interface. Some BIOS systems specify the network interface as a possible boot device, but do not support the PXE standard. Refer to your hardware documentation for more information.

Note

Some servers with multiple network interfaces might not assign eth0 to the first network interface as the firmware interface knows it, which can cause the installer to try to use a different network interface from the one that was used by PXE. To change this behavior, use the following in pxelinux.cfg/* config files:

IPAPPEND 2
APPEND ksdevice=bootif

These configuration options above cause the installer to use the same network interface the firmware interface and PXE use. You can also use the following option:

ksdevice=link

This option causes the installer to use the first network device it finds that is linked to a network switch.

Chapter 8. Configuring Language and Installation Source

Before the graphical installation program starts, you need to configure the language and installation source.

8.1. The Text Mode Installation Program User Interface

Important

We recommend that you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux using the graphical interface. If you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a system that lacks a graphical display, consider performing the installation over a VNC connection – see Chapter 31, Installing Through VNC. If anaconda detects that you are installing in text mode on a system where installation over a VNC connection might be possible, anaconda asks you to verify your decision to install in text mode even though your options during installation are limited.

If your system has a graphical display, but graphical installation fails, try booting with the xdriver=vesa option – refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options

Not every language supported in graphical installation mode is also supported in text mode. Specifically, languages written with a character set other than the Latin or Cyrillic alphabets are not available in text mode. If you choose a language written with a character set that is not supported in text mode, the installation program will present you with the English versions of the screens.

Figure 8.1. Installation Program Widgets as seen in URL Setup

Figure 8.2. Installation Program Widgets as seen in Choose a Language

The widgets include:

Window — Windows (usually referred to as dialogs in this manual) appear on your screen throughout the installation process. At times, one window may overlay another; in these cases, you can only interact with the window on top. When you are finished in that window, it disappears, allowing you to continue working in the window underneath.

Checkbox — Checkboxes allow you to select or deselect a feature. The box displays either an asterisk (selected) or a space (unselected). When the cursor is within a checkbox, press Space to select or deselect a feature.

Text Input — Text input lines are regions where you can enter information required by the installation program. When the cursor rests on a text input line, you may enter and/or edit information on that line.

Text Widget — Text widgets are regions of the screen for the display of text. At times, text widgets may also contain other widgets, such as checkboxes. If a text widget contains more information than can be displayed in the space reserved for it, a scroll bar appears; if you position the cursor within the text widget, you can then use the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through all the information available. Your current position is shown on the scroll bar by a # character, which moves up and down the scroll bar as you scroll.

Scroll Bar — Scroll bars appear on the side or bottom of a window to control which part of a list or document is currently in the window's frame. The scroll bar makes it easy to move to any part of a file.

Button Widget — Button widgets are the primary method of interacting with the installation program. You progress through the windows of the installation program by navigating these buttons, using the Tab and Enter keys. Buttons can be selected when they are highlighted.

8.1.1. Using the Keyboard to Navigate

Navigation through the installation dialogs is performed through a simple set of keystrokes. To move the cursor, use the Left, Right, Up, and Down arrow keys. Use Tab, and Shift-Tab to cycle forward or backward through each widget on the screen. Along the bottom, most screens display a summary of available cursor positioning keys.

To "press" a button, position the cursor over the button (using Tab, for example) and press Space or Enter. To select an item from a list of items, move the cursor to the item you wish to select and press Enter. To select an item with a checkbox, move the cursor to the checkbox and press Space to select an item. To deselect, press Space a second time.

Pressing F12 accepts the current values and proceeds to the next dialog; it is equivalent to pressing the OK button.

Warning

Unless a dialog box is waiting for your input, do not press any keys during the installation process (doing so may result in unpredictable behavior).

8.2. Language Selection

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select a language to use during the installation process (refer to Figure 8.3, “Language Selection”). With your selected language highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice.

The language you select here will become the default language for the operating system once it is installed. Selecting the appropriate language also helps target your time zone configuration later in the installation. The installation program tries to define the appropriate time zone based on what you specify on this screen.

8.3. Installation Method

If you booted the installation from minimal boot media or with the askmethod boot option, use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select an installation method (refer to Figure 8.4, “Installation Method”). With your selected method highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice.

Figure 8.4. Installation Method

8.3.1. Installing from a DVD

To install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a DVD, place the DVD your DVD drive and boot your system from the DVD. Even if you booted from alternative media, you can still install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from DVD media.

The installation program then probes your system and attempts to identify your DVD drive. It starts by looking for an IDE (also known as an ATAPI) DVD drive.

Note

To abort the installation process at this time, reboot your machine and then eject the boot media. You can safely cancel the installation at any point before the Write changes to disk screen. Refer to Section 9.16, “Write Changes to Disk” for more information.

If your DVD drive is not detected, and it is a SCSI DVD, the installation program prompts you to choose a SCSI driver. Choose the driver that most closely resembles your adapter. You may specify options for the driver if necessary; however, most drivers detect your SCSI adapter automatically.

If the DVD drive is found and the driver loaded, the installer will present you with the option to perform a media check on the DVD. This will take some time, and you may opt to skip over this step. However, if you later encounter problems with the installer, you should reboot and perform the media check before calling for support. From the media check dialog, continue to the next stage of the installation process (refer to Section 9.3, “Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux”).

8.3.2. Installing from a Hard Drive

The Select Partition screen applies only if you are installing from a disk partition (that is, you selected Hard Drive in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog allows you to name the disk partition and directory from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=hd boot option, you already specified a partition.

Figure 8.5. Selecting Partition Dialog for Hard Drive Installation

Select the partition containing the ISO files from the list of available partitions. Internal IDE, SATA, SCSI, and USB drive device names begin with /dev/sd. Each individual drive has its own letter, for example /dev/sda. Each partition on a drive is numbered, for example /dev/sda1.

Also specify the Directory holding images. Enter the full directory path from the drive that contains the ISO image files. The following table shows some examples of how to enter this information:

Table 8.1. Location of ISO images for different partition types

Partition type

Volume

Original path to files

Directory to use

VFAT

D:\

D:\Downloads\RHEL6.9

/Downloads/RHEL6.9

ext2, ext3, ext4

/home

/home/user1/RHEL6.9

/user1/RHEL6.9

If the ISO images are in the root (top-level) directory of a partition, enter a /. If the ISO images are located in a subdirectory of a mounted partition, enter the name of the directory holding the ISO images within that partition. For example, if the partition on which the ISO images is normally mounted as /home/, and the images are in /home/new/, you would enter /new/.

8.3.3. Performing a Network Installation

When you start an installation with the askmethod or repo= options, you can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a network server using FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or NFS protocols. Anaconda uses the same network connection to consult additional software repositories later in the installation process.

If your system has more than one network device, anaconda presents you with a list of all available devices and prompts you to select one to use during installation. If your system only has a single network device, anaconda automatically selects it and does not present this dialog.

Figure 8.6. Networking Device

If you are not sure which device in the list corresponds to which physical socket on the system, select a device in the list then press the Identify button. The Identify NIC dialog appears.

Figure 8.7. Identify NIC

The sockets of most network devices feature an activity light (also called a link light) — an LED that flashes to indicate that data is flowing through the socket. Anaconda can flash the activity light of the network device that you selected in the Networking Device dialog for up to 30 seconds. Enter the number of seconds that you require, then press OK. When anaconda finishes flashing the light, it returns you to the Networking Device dialog.

When you select a network device, anaconda prompts you to choose how to configure TCP/IP:

IPv4 options

Dynamic IP configuration (DHCP)

Anaconda uses DHCP running on the network to supply the network configuration automatically.

Manual configuration

Anaconda prompts you to enter the network configuration manually, including the IP address for this system, the netmask, the gateway address, and the DNS address.

IPv6 options

Automatic

Anaconda uses router advertisement (RA) and DHCP for automatic configuration, based on the network environment. (Equivalent to the Automatic option in NetworkManager)

Automatic, DHCP only

Anaconda does not use RA, but requests information from DHCPv6 directly to create a stateful configuration. (Equivalent to the Automatic, DHCP only option in NetworkManager)

Manual configuration

Anaconda prompts you to enter the network configuration manually, including the IP address for this system, the netmask, the gateway address, and the DNS address.

Anaconda supports the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. However, if you configure an interface to use both IPv4 and IPv6, the IPv4 connection must succeed or the interface will not work, even if the IPv6 connection succeeds.

Figure 8.8. Configure TCP/IP

By default, anaconda uses DHCP to provide network settings automatically for IPv4 and automatic configuration to provide network settings for IPv6. If you choose to configure TCP/IP manually, anaconda prompts you to provide the details in the Manual TCP/IP Configuration dialog:

Figure 8.9. Manual TCP/IP Configuration

The dialog provides fields for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and prefixes, depending on the protocols that you chose to configure manually, together with fields for the network gateway and name server. Enter the details for your network, then press OK.

When the installation process completes, it will transfer these settings to your system.

8.3.4. Installing via NFS

The NFS dialog applies only if you selected NFS Image in the Installation Method dialog. If you used the repo=nfs boot option, you already specified a server and path.

Figure 8.10. NFS Setup Dialog

Enter the domain name or IP address of your NFS server in the NFS server name field. For example, if you are installing from a host named eastcoast in the domain example.com, enter eastcoast.example.com.

Enter the name of the exported directory in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 directory field:

If the NFS server is exporting a mirror of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation tree, enter the directory which contains the root of the installation tree. If everything was specified properly, a message appears indicating that the installation program for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is running.

If the NFS server is exporting the ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD, enter the directory which contains the ISO image.

Specify any NFS mount options that you require in the NFS mount options field. Refer to the man pages for mount and nfs for a comprehensive list of options. If you do not require any mount options, leave the field empty.

8.3.5. Installing via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS

Important

When you provide a URL to an installation source, you must explicitly specify http:// or https:// or ftp:// as the protocol.

The URL dialog applies only if you are installing from a FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server (if you selected URL in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog prompts you for information about the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=ftp or repo=http boot options, you already specified a server and path.

Enter the name or IP address of the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS site from which you are installing, and the name of the directory that contains the /images directory for your architecture. For example:

/mirrors/redhat/rhel-6.9/Server/i386/

To install via a secure HTTPS connection, specify https:// as the protocol.

Specify the address of a proxy server, and if necessary, provide a port number, username, and password. If everything was specified properly, a message box appears indicating that files are being retrieved from the server.

If your FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server requires user authentication, specify user and password as part of the URL as follows:

8.4. Verifying Media

The DVD offers an option to verify the integrity of the media. Recording errors sometimes occur while producing DVD media. An error in the data for package chosen in the installation program can cause the installation to abort. To minimize the chances of data errors affecting the installation, verify the media before installing.

If the verification succeeds, the installation process proceeds normally. If the process fails, create a new DVD using the ISO image you downloaded earlier.

Chapter 9. Installing Using Anaconda

This chapter describes an installation using the graphical user interface of anaconda.

9.1. The Text Mode Installation Program User Interface

Important

Installing in text mode does not prevent you from using a graphical interface on your system once it is installed.

Apart from the graphical installer, anaconda also includes a text-based installer.

If one of the following situations occurs, the installation program uses text mode:

The installation system fails to identify the display hardware on your computer

You choose the text mode installation from the boot menu

While text mode installations are not explicitly documented, those using the text mode installation program can easily follow the GUI installation instructions. However, because text mode presents you with a simpler, more streamlined installation process, certain options that are available in graphical mode are not also available in text mode. These differences are noted in the description of the installation process in this guide, and include:

9.2. The Graphical Installation Program User Interface

If you have used a graphical user interface (GUI) before, you are already familiar with this process; use your mouse to navigate the screens, click buttons, or enter text fields.

You can also navigate through the installation using the keyboard. The Tab key allows you to move around the screen, the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through lists, + and - keys expand and collapse lists, while Space and Enter selects or removes from selection a highlighted item. You can also use the Alt+X key command combination as a way of clicking on buttons or making other screen selections, where X is replaced with any underlined letter appearing within that screen.

Note

If you are using an x86, AMD64, or Intel 64 system, and you do not wish to use the GUI installation program, the text mode installation program is also available. To start the text mode installation program, use the following command at the boot: prompt:

It is highly recommended that installs be performed using the GUI installation program. The GUI installation program offers the full functionality of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program, including LVM configuration which is not available during a text mode installation.

Users who must use the text mode installation program can follow the GUI installation instructions and obtain all needed information.

9.2.1. Screenshots During Installation

Anaconda allows you to take screenshots during the installation process. At any time during installation, press Shift+Print Screen and anaconda will save a screenshot to /root/anaconda-screenshots.

If you are performing a Kickstart installation, use the autostep --autoscreenshot option to generate a screenshot of each step of the installation automatically. Refer to Section 32.3, “Creating the Kickstart File” for details of configuring a Kickstart file.

9.2.2. A Note About Virtual Consoles

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program offers more than the dialog boxes of the installation process. Several kinds of diagnostic messages are available to you, as well as a way to enter commands from a shell prompt. The installation program displays these messages on five virtual consoles, among which you can switch using a single keystroke combination.

A virtual console is a shell prompt in a non-graphical environment, accessed from the physical machine, not remotely. Multiple virtual consoles can be accessed simultaneously.

These virtual consoles can be helpful if you encounter a problem while installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Messages displayed on the installation or system consoles can help pinpoint a problem. Refer to Table 9.1, “Console, Keystrokes, and Contents” for a listing of the virtual consoles, keystrokes used to switch to them, and their contents.

Generally, there is no reason to leave the default console (virtual console #6) for graphical installations unless you are attempting to diagnose installation problems.

Table 9.1. Console, Keystrokes, and Contents

console

keystrokes

contents

1

ctrl+alt+f1

graphical display

2

ctrl+alt+f2

shell prompt

3

ctrl+alt+f3

install log (messages from installation program)

4

ctrl+alt+f4

system-related messages

5

ctrl+alt+f5

other messages

9.3. Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

The Welcome screen does not prompt you for any input.

Figure 9.1. The Welcome screen

Click on the Next button to continue.

9.4. Language Selection

Using your mouse, select the language (for example, U.S. English) you would prefer to use for the installation and as the system default (refer to the figure below).

Once you have made your selection, click Next to continue.

Figure 9.2. Language Configuration

9.5. Keyboard Configuration

Using your mouse, select the correct layout type (for example, U.S. English) for the keyboard you would prefer to use for the installation and as the system default (refer to the figure below).

Once you have made your selection, click Next to continue.

Figure 9.3. Keyboard Configuration

Red Hat Enterprise Linux includes support for more than one keyboard layout for many languages. In particular, most European languages include a latin1 option, which uses dead keys to access certain characters, such as those with diacritical marks. When you press a dead key, nothing will appear on your screen until you press another key to "complete" the character. For example, to type é on a latin1 keyboard layout, you would press (and release) the ' key, and then press the E key. By contrast, you access this character on some other keyboards by pressing and holding down a key (such as Alt-Gr) while you press the E key. Other keyboards might have a dedicated key for this character.

Note

To change your keyboard layout type after you have completed the installation, use the Keyboard Configuration Tool.

Type the system-config-keyboard command in a shell prompt to launch the Keyboard Configuration Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to continue.

9.6. Storage Devices

You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a large variety of storage devices. This screen allows you to select either basic or specialized storage devices.

Use the Specialized Storage Devices option to configure Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) and FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) connections.

If you select Basic Storage Devices, anaconda automatically detects the local storage attached to the system and does not require further input from you. Proceed to Section 9.7, “Setting the Hostname”.

Note

Monitoring of LVM and software RAID devices by the mdeventd daemon is not performed during installation.

9.6.1. The Storage Devices Selection Screen

The storage devices selection screen displays all storage devices to which anaconda has access.

Figure 9.5. Select storage devices — Basic devices

Figure 9.6. Select storage devices — Multipath Devices

Figure 9.7. Select storage devices — Other SAN Devices

Devices are grouped under the following tabs:

Basic Devices

Basic storage devices directly connected to the local system, such as hard disk drives and solid-state drives.

Firmware RAID

Storage devices attached to a firmware RAID controller.

Multipath Devices

Storage devices accessible through more than one path, such as through multiple SCSI controllers or Fiber Channel ports on the same system.

Important

The installer only detects multipath storage devices with serial numbers that are 16 or 32 characters in length.

The storage devices selection screen also contains a Search tab that allows you to filter storage devices either by their World Wide Identifier (WWID) or by the port, target, or logical unit number (LUN) at which they are accessed.

Figure 9.8. The Storage Devices Search Tab

The tab contains a drop-down menu to select searching by port, target, WWID, or LUN (with corresponding text boxes for these values). Searching by WWID or LUN requires additional values in the corresponding text box.

Each tab presents a list of devices detected by anaconda, with information about the device to help you to identify it. A small drop-down menu marked with an icon is located to the right of the column headings. This menu allows you to select the types of data presented on each device. For example, the menu on the Multipath Devices tab allows you to specify any of WWID, Capacity, Vendor, Interconnect, and Paths to include among the details presented for each device. Reducing or expanding the amount of information presented might help you to identify particular devices.

Figure 9.9. Selecting Columns

Each device is presented on a separate row, with a checkbox to its left. Click the checkbox to make a device available during the installation process, or click the radio button at the left of the column headings to select or deselect all the devices listed in a particular screen. Later in the installation process, you can choose to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux onto any of the devices selected here, and can choose to automatically mount any of the other devices selected here as part of the installed system.

Note that the devices that you select here are not automatically erased by the installation process. Selecting a device on this screen does not, in itself, place data stored on the device at risk. Note also that any devices that you do not select here to form part of the installed system can be added to the system after installation by modifying the /etc/fstab file.

Important

Any storage devices that you do not select on this screen are hidden from anaconda entirely. To chain load the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader from a different boot loader, select all the devices presented in this screen.

9.6.1.1.1. Select and configure a network interface

The Advanced Storage Options screen lists the active network interfaces anaconda has found on your system. If none are found, anaconda must activate an interface through which to connect to the storage devices.

Click Configure Network on the Advanced Storage Options screen to configure and activate one using NetworkManager to use during installation. Alternatively, anaconda will prompt you with the Select network interface dialog after you click Add drive.

Figure 9.11. Select network interface

Select an interface from the drop-down menu.

Click OK.

Anaconda then starts NetworkManager to allow you to configure the interface.

9.6.1.1.2. Configure iSCSI parameters

To add an iSCSI target, select Add iSCSI target and click Add drive.

To use iSCSI storage devices for the installation, anaconda must be able to discover them as iSCSI targets and be able to create an iSCSI session to access them. Each of these steps might require a username and password for CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol) authentication. Additionally, you can configure an iSCSI target to authenticate the iSCSI initiator on the system to which the target is attached (reverse CHAP), both for discovery and for the session. Used together, CHAP and reverse CHAP are called mutual CHAP or two-way CHAP. Mutual CHAP provides the greatest level of security for iSCSI connections, particularly if the username and password are different for CHAP authentication and reverse CHAP authentication.

Repeat the iSCSI discovery and iSCSI login steps as many times as necessary to add all required iSCSI storage. However, you cannot change the name of the iSCSI initiator after you attempt discovery for the first time. To change the iSCSI initiator name, you must restart the installation.

Procedure 9.1. iSCSI discovery

Use the iSCSI Discovery Details dialog to provide anaconda with the information that it needs to discover the iSCSI target.

Figure 9.13. The iSCSI Discovery Details dialog

Enter the IP address of the iSCSI target in the Target IP Address field.

Provide a name in the iSCSI Initiator Name field for the iSCSI initiator in iSCSI qualified name (IQN) format.

A valid IQN contains:

the string iqn. (note the period)

a date code that specifies the year and month in which your organization's Internet domain or subdomain name was registered, represented as four digits for the year, a dash, and two digits for the month, followed by a period. For example, represent September 2010 as 2010-09.

your organization's Internet domain or subdomain name, presented in reverse order with the top-level domain first. For example, represent the subdomain storage.example.com as com.example.storage

a colon followed by a string that uniquely identifies this particular iSCSI initiator within your domain or subdomain. For example, :diskarrays-sn-a8675309.

A complete IQN therefore resembles: iqn.2010-09.storage.example.com:diskarrays-sn-a8675309, and anaconda pre-populates the iSCSI Initiator Name field with a name in this format to help you with the structure.

Use the drop-down menu to specify the type of authentication to use for iSCSI discovery:

Figure 9.14. iSCSI discovery authentication

no credentials

CHAP pair

CHAP pair and a reverse pair

If you selected CHAP pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password fields.

Figure 9.15. CHAP pair

If you selected CHAP pair and a reverse pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password field and the username and password for the iSCSI initiator in the Reverse CHAP Username and Reverse CHAP Password fields.

Figure 9.16. CHAP pair and a reverse pair

Click Start Discovery. Anaconda attempts to discover an iSCSI target based on the information that you provided. If discovery succeeds, the iSCSI Discovered Nodes dialog presents you with a list of all the iSCSI nodes discovered on the target.

Each node is presented with a checkbox beside it. Click the checkboxes to select the nodes to use for installation.

Figure 9.17. The iSCSI Discovered Nodes dialog

Click Login to initiate an iSCSI session.

Procedure 9.2. Starting an iSCSI session

Use the iSCSI Nodes Login dialog to provide anaconda with the information that it needs to log into the nodes on the iSCSI target and start an iSCSI session.

Figure 9.18. The iSCSI Nodes Login dialog

Use the drop-down menu to specify the type of authentication to use for the iSCSI session:

Figure 9.19. iSCSI session authentication

no credentials

CHAP pair

CHAP pair and a reverse pair

Use the credentials from the discovery step

If your environment uses the same type of authentication and same username and password for iSCSI discovery and for the iSCSI session, select Use the credentials from the discovery step to reuse these credentials.

If you selected CHAP pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password fields.

Figure 9.20. CHAP pair

If you selected CHAP pair and a reverse pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password fields and the username and password for the iSCSI initiator in the Reverse CHAP Username and Reverse CHAP Password fields.

Figure 9.21. CHAP pair and a reverse pair

Click Login. Anaconda attempts to log into the nodes on the iSCSI target based on the information that you provided. The iSCSI Login Results dialog presents you with the results.

Figure 9.22. The iSCSI Login Results dialog

Click OK to continue.

9.6.1.1.3. Configure FCoE Parameters

To configure an FCoE SAN, select Add FCoE SAN and click Add Drive.

In the next dialog box that appears after you click Add drive, select the network interface that is connected to your FCoE switch and click Add FCoE Disk(s).

Figure 9.23. Configure FCoE Parameters

Data Center Bridging (DCB) is a set of enhancements to the Ethernet protocols designed to increase the efficiency of Ethernet connections in storage networks and clusters. Enable or disable the installer's awareness of DCB with the checkbox in this dialog. This should only be set for networking interfaces that require a host-based DCBX client. Configurations on interfaces that implement a hardware DCBX client should leave this checkbox empty.

Auto VLAN indicates whether VLAN discovery should be performed. If this box is checked, then the FIP VLAN discovery protocol will run on the Ethernet interface once the link configuration has been validated. If they are not already configured, network interfaces for any discovered FCoE VLANs will be automatically created and FCoE instances will be created on the VLAN interfaces.

9.7. Setting the Hostname

Setup prompts you to supply a host name for this computer, either as a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) in the format hostname.domainname or as a short host name in the format hostname. Many networks have a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service that automatically supplies connected systems with a domain name. To allow the DHCP service to assign the domain name to this machine, specify the short host name only.

Note

You may give your system any name provided that the full hostname is unique. The hostname may include letters, numbers and hyphens.

Figure 9.24. Setting the hostname

If your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system is connected directly to the Internet, you must pay attention to additional considerations to avoid service interruptions or risk action by your upstream service provider. A full discussion of these issues is beyond the scope of this document.

Note

The installation program does not configure modems. Configure these devices after installation with the Network utility. The settings for your modem are specific to your particular Internet Service Provider (ISP).

9.7.1. Editing Network Connections

Important

When a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 installation boots for the first time, it activates any network interfaces that you configured during the installation process. However, the installer does not prompt you to configure network interfaces on some common installation paths, for example, when you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a DVD to a local hard drive.

When you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a local installation source to a local storage device, be sure to configure at least one network interface manually if you require network access when the system boots for the first time. You will need to select the Connect automatically option manually when editing the connection.

Note

To change your network configuration after you have completed the installation, use the Network Administration Tool.

Type the system-config-network command in a shell prompt to launch the Network Administration Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to continue.

The Network Administration Tool is now deprecated and will be replaced by NetworkManager during the lifetime of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

To configure a network connection manually, click the button Configure Network. The Network Connections dialog appears that allows you to configure wired, wireless, mobile broadband, InfiniBand, VPN, DSL, VLAN, and bonded connections for the system using the NetworkManager tool. A full description of all configurations possible with NetworkManager is beyond the scope of this guide. This section only details the most typical scenario of how to configure wired connections during installation. Configuration of other types of network is broadly similar, although the specific parameters that you must configure are necessarily different.

Figure 9.25. Network Connections

To add a new connection, click Add and select a connection type from the menu. To modify an existing connection, select it in the list and click Edit. In either case, a dialog box appears with a set of tabs that is appropriate to the particular connection type, as described below. To remove a connection, select it in the list and click Delete.

When you have finished editing network settings, click Apply to save the new configuration. If you reconfigured a device that was already active during installation, you must restart the device to use the new configuration — refer to Section 9.7.1.6, “Restart a network device”.

9.7.1.1. Options common to all types of connection

Certain configuration options are common to all connection types.

Specify a name for the connection in the Connection name name field.

Select Connect automatically to start the connection automatically when the system boots.

When NetworkManager runs on an installed system, the Available to all users option controls whether a network configuration is available system-wide or not. During installation, ensure that Available to all users remains selected for any network interface that you configure.

9.7.1.2. The Wired tab

Use the Wired tab to specify or change the media access control (MAC) address for the network adapter, and either set the maximum transmission unit (MTU, in bytes) that can pass through the interface.

Figure 9.26. The Wired tab

9.7.1.3. The 802.1x Security tab

Use the 802.1x Security tab to configure 802.1X port-based network access control (PNAC). Select Use 802.1X security for this connection to enable access control, then specify details of your network. The configuration options include:

Authentication

Choose one of the following methods of authentication:

TLS for Transport Layer Security

Tunneled TLS for Tunneled Transport Layer Security, otherwise known as TTLS, or EAP-TTLS

The password for the private key specified in the Private key field. Select Show password to make the password visible as you type it.

Figure 9.27. The 802.1x Security tab

9.7.1.4. The IPv4 Settings tab

Use the IPv4 Settings tab tab to configure the IPv4 parameters for the previously selected network connection.

Use the Method drop-down menu to specify which settings the system should attempt to obtain from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service running on the network. Choose from the following options:

Automatic (DHCP)

IPv4 parameters are configured by the DHCP service on the network.

Automatic (DHCP) addresses only

The IPv4 address, netmask, and gateway address are configured by the DHCP service on the network, but DNS servers and search domains must be configured manually.

Manual

IPv4 parameters are configured manually for a static configuration.

Link-Local Only

A link-local address in the 169.254/16 range is assigned to the interface.

Shared to other computers

The system is configured to provide network access to other computers. The interface is assigned an address in the 10.42.x.1/24 range, a DHCP server and DNS server are started, and the interface is connected to the default network connection on the system with network address translation (NAT).

Disabled

IPv4 is disabled for this connection.

If you selected a method that requires you to supply manual parameters, enter details of the IP address for this interface, the netmask, and the gateway in the Addresses field. Use the Add and Delete buttons to add or remove addresses. Enter a comma-separated list of DNS servers in the DNS servers field, and a comma-separated list of domains in the Search domains field for any domains that you want to include in name server lookups.

Optionally, enter a name for this network connection in the DHCP client ID field. This name must be unique on the subnet. When you assign a meaningful DHCP client ID to a connection, it is easy to identify this connection when troubleshooting network problems.

Deselect the Require IPv4 addressing for this connection to complete check box to allow the system to make this connection on an IPv6-enabled network if IPv4 configuration fails but IPv6 configuration succeeds.

Figure 9.28. The IPv4 Settings tab

9.7.1.4.1. Editing IPv4 routes

Red Hat Enterprise Linux configures a number of routes automatically based on the IP addresses of a device. To edit additional routes, click the Routes button. The Editing IPv4 routes dialog appears.

Figure 9.29. The Editing IPv4 Routes dialog

Click Add to add the IP address, netmask, gateway address, and metric for a new static route.

Select Ignore automatically obtained routes to make the interface use only the routes specified for it here.

Select Use this connection only for resources on its network to restrict connections only to the local network.

9.7.1.5. The IPv6 Settings tab

Use the IPv6 Settings tab tab to configure the IPv6 parameters for the previously selected network connection.

Use the Method drop-down menu to specify which settings the system should attempt to obtain from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service running on the network. Choose from the following options:

NetworkManager uses RA to create an automatic, stateless configuration, but DNS servers and search domains are ignored and must be configured manually.

Automatic, DHCP only

NetworkManager does not use RA, but requests information from DHCPv6 directly to create a stateful configuration.

Manual

IPv6 parameters are configured manually for a static configuration.

Link-Local Only

A link-local address with the fe80::/10 prefix is assigned to the interface.

If you selected a method that requires you to supply manual parameters, enter details of the IP address for this interface, the netmask, and the gateway in the Addresses field. Use the Add and Delete buttons to add or remove addresses. Enter a comma-separated list of DNS servers in the DNS servers field, and a comma-separated list of domains in the Search domains field for any domains that you want to include in name server lookups.

Optionally, enter a name for this network connection in the DHCP client ID field. This name must be unique on the subnet. When you assign a meaningful DHCP client ID to a connection, it is easy to identify this connection when troubleshooting network problems.

Deselect the Require IPv6 addressing for this connection to complete check box to allow the system to make this connection on an IPv4-enabled network if IPv6 configuration fails but IPv4 configuration succeeds.

Figure 9.30. The IPv6 Settings tab

9.7.1.5.1. Editing IPv6 routes

Red Hat Enterprise Linux configures a number of routes automatically based on the IP addresses of a device. To edit additional routes, click the Routes button. The Editing IPv6 routes dialog appears.

Figure 9.31. The Editing IPv6 Routes dialog

Click Add to add the IP address, netmask, gateway address, and metric for a new static route.

Select Use this connection only for resources on its network to restrict connections only to the local network.

9.7.1.6. Restart a network device

If you reconfigured a network that was already in use during installation, you must disconnect and reconnect the device in anaconda for the changes to take effect. Anaconda uses interface configuration (ifcfg) files to communicate with NetworkManager. A device becomes disconnected when its ifcfg file is removed, and becomes reconnected when its ifcfg file is restored, as long as ONBOOT=yes is set. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 Deployment Guide available from https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/6/html/Deployment_Guide/index.html for more information about interface configuration files.

Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 to switch to virtual terminal tty2.

Move the interface configuration file to a temporary location:

mv /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-device_name /tmp

where device_name is the device that you just reconfigured. For example, ifcfg-eth0 is the ifcfg file for eth0.

The device is now disconnected in anaconda.

Open the interface configuration file in the vi editor:

vi /tmp/ifcfg-device_name

Verify that the interface configuration file contains the line ONBOOT=yes. If the file does not already contain the line, add it now and save the file.

Exit the vi editor.

Move the interface configuration file back to the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ directory:

mv /tmp/ifcfg-device_name /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/

The device is now reconnected in anaconda.

Press Ctrl+Alt+F6 to return to anaconda.

9.8. Time Zone Configuration

Set your time zone by selecting the city closest to your computer's physical location. Click on the map to zoom in to a particular geographical region of the world.

Specify a time zone even if you plan to use NTP (Network Time Protocol) to maintain the accuracy of the system clock.

From here there are two ways for you to select your time zone:

Using your mouse, click on the interactive map to select a specific city (represented by a yellow dot). A red X appears indicating your selection.

You can also scroll through the list at the bottom of the screen to select your time zone. Using your mouse, click on a location to highlight your selection.

Figure 9.32. Configuring the Time Zone

If Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the only operating system on your computer, select System clock uses UTC. The system clock is a piece of hardware on your computer system. Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses the timezone setting to determine the offset between the local time and UTC on the system clock. This behavior is standard for systems that use UNIX, Linux, and similar operating systems.

Click Next to proceed.

Warning

Do not enable the System clock uses UTC option if your machine also runs Microsoft Windows. Microsoft operating systems change the BIOS clock to match local time rather than UTC. This may cause unexpected behavior under Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Note

To change your time zone configuration after you have completed the installation, use the Time and Date Properties Tool.

Type the system-config-date command in a shell prompt to launch the Time and Date Properties Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to continue.

9.9. Set the Root Password

Setting up a root account and password is one of the most important steps during your installation. The root account is used to install packages, upgrade RPMs, and perform most system maintenance. Logging in as root gives you complete control over your system.

Note

The root user (also known as the superuser) has complete access to the entire system; for this reason, logging in as the root user is best done only to perform system maintenance or administration.

Figure 9.33. Root Password

Use the root account only for system administration. Create a non-root account for your general use and use the su command to change to root only when you need to perform tasks that require superuser authorization. These basic rules minimize the chances of a typo or an incorrect command doing damage to your system.

Note

To become root, type su - at the shell prompt in a terminal window and then press Enter. Then, enter the root password and press Enter.

The installation program prompts you to set a root password[2] for your system. . You cannot proceed to the next stage of the installation process without entering a root password.

The root password must be at least six characters long; the password you type is not echoed to the screen. You must enter the password twice; if the two passwords do not match, the installation program asks you to enter them again.

You should make the root password something you can remember, but not something that is easy for someone else to guess. Your name, your phone number, qwerty, password, root, 123456, and anteater are all examples of bad passwords. Good passwords mix numerals with upper and lower case letters and do not contain dictionary words: Aard387vark or 420BMttNT, for example. Remember that the password is case-sensitive. If you write down your password, keep it in a secure place. However, it is recommended that you do not write down this or any password you create.

Warning

Do not use one of the example passwords offered in this manual. Using one of these passwords could be considered a security risk.

To change your root password after you have completed the installation, run the passwd command as root. If you forget the root password, see Resolving Problems in System Recovery Modes in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Deployment Guide for instructions on how to set a new one.

9.10. Assign Storage Devices

If you selected more than one storage device on the storage devices selection screen (refer to Section 9.6, “Storage Devices”), anaconda asks you to select which of these devices should be available for installation of the operating system, and which should only be attached to the file system for data storage. If you selected only one storage device, anaconda does not present you with this screen.

During installation, the devices that you identify here as being for data storage only are mounted as part of the file system, but are not partitioned or formatted.

Figure 9.34. Assign storage devices

The screen is split into two panes. The left pane contains a list of devices to be used for data storage only. The right pane contains a list of devices that are to be available for installation of the operating system.

Each list contains information about the devices to help you to identify them. A small drop-down menu marked with an icon is located to the right of the column headings. This menu allows you to select the types of data presented on each device. Reducing or expanding the amount of information presented might help you to identify particular devices.

Move a device from one list to the other by clicking on the device, then clicking either the button labeled with a left-pointing arrow to move it to the list of data storage devices or the button labeled with a right-pointing arrow to move it to the list of devices available for installation of the operating system.

The list of devices available as installation targets also includes a radio button beside each device. Use this radio button to specify the device that you want to use as the boot device for the system.

Important

If any storage device contains a boot loader that will chain load the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader, include that storage device among the Install Target Devices. Storage devices that you identify as Install Target Devices remain visible to anaconda during boot loader configuration.

Storage devices that you identify as Install Target Devices on this screen are not automatically erased by the installation process unless you selected the Use All Space option on the partitioning screen (refer to Section 9.13, “Disk Partitioning Setup”).

When you have finished identifying devices to be used for installation, click Next to continue.

9.11. Initializing the Hard Disk

If no readable partition tables are found on existing hard disks, the installation program asks to initialize the hard disk. This operation makes any existing data on the hard disk unreadable. If your system has a brand new hard disk with no operating system installed, or you have removed all partitions on the hard disk, click Re-initialize drive.

The installation program presents you with a separate dialog for each disk on which it cannot read a valid partition table. Click the Ignore all button or Re-initialize all button to apply the same answer to all devices.

Figure 9.35. Warning screen – initializing hard drive

Certain RAID systems or other nonstandard configurations may be unreadable to the installation program and the prompt to initialize the hard disk may appear. The installation program responds to the physical disk structures it is able to detect.

To enable automatic initializing of hard disks for which it turns out to be necessary, use the kickstart command zerombr (refer to Chapter 32, Kickstart Installations). This command is required when performing an unattended installation on a system with previously initialized disks.

Warning

If you have a nonstandard disk configuration that can be detached during installation and detected and configured afterward, power off the system, detach it, and restart the installation.

In-place upgrades between major versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux can be done, with certain limitations, using the Red Hat Upgrade Tool and Preupgrade Assistant tools. See Chapter 37, Upgrading Your Current System for more information.

The installation system automatically detects any existing installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The upgrade process updates the existing system software with new versions, but does not remove any data from users' home directories. The existing partition structure on your hard drives does not change. Your system configuration changes only if a package upgrade demands it. Most package upgrades do not change system configuration, but rather install an additional configuration file for you to examine later.

Note that the installation medium that you are using might not contain all the software packages that you need to upgrade your computer.

9.12.1. The Upgrade Dialog

If your system contains a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation, a dialog appears asking whether you want to upgrade that installation. To perform an upgrade of an existing system, choose the appropriate installation from the drop-down list and select Next.

Figure 9.36. The Upgrade Dialog

Note

Software you have installed manually on your existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux system may behave differently after an upgrade. You may need to manually reinstall or recompile this software after an upgrade to ensure it performs correctly on the updated system.

9.12.2. Upgrading Using the Installer

Note

In general, Red Hat recommends that you keep user data on a separate /home partition and perform a fresh installation. For more information on partitions and how to set them up, refer to Section 9.13, “Disk Partitioning Setup”.

If you choose to upgrade your system using the installation program, any software not provided by Red Hat Enterprise Linux that conflicts with Red Hat Enterprise Linux software is overwritten. Before you begin an upgrade this way, make a list of your system's current packages for later reference:

Make a complete backup of any important data before performing an upgrade. Important data may include the contents of your entire /home directory as well as content from services such as an Apache, FTP, or SQL server, or a source code management system. Although upgrades are not destructive, if you perform one improperly there is a small possibility of data loss.

Warning

Note that the above examples store backup materials in a /home directory. If your /home directory is not a separate partition, you should not follow these examples verbatim! Store your backups on another device such as CD or DVD discs or an external hard disk.

9.12.3. Updating the Boot Loader Configuration

Your completed Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation must be registered in the boot loader to boot properly. A boot loader is software on your machine that locates and starts the operating system. Refer to Appendix E, The GRUB Boot Loader for more information about boot loaders.

Figure 9.37. The Upgrade Boot Loader Dialog

If the existing boot loader was installed by a Linux distribution, the installation system can modify it to load the new Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. To update the existing Linux boot loader, select Update boot loader configuration. This is the default behavior when you upgrade an existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation.

GRUB is the standard boot loader for Red Hat Enterprise Linux on 32-bit and 64-bit x86 architectures. If your machine uses another boot loader, such as BootMagic, System Commander, or the loader installed by Microsoft Windows, then the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation system cannot update it. In this case, select Skip boot loader updating. When the installation process completes, refer to the documentation for your product for assistance.

Install a new boot loader as part of an upgrade process only if you are certain you want to replace the existing boot loader. If you install a new boot loader, you may not be able to boot other operating systems on the same machine until you have configured the new boot loader. Select Create new boot loader configuration to remove the existing boot loader and install GRUB.

9.13. Disk Partitioning Setup

Warning

It is always a good idea to back up any data that you have on your systems. For example, if you are upgrading or creating a dual-boot system, you should back up any data you wish to keep on your storage devices. Mistakes do happen and can result in the loss of all your data.

Important

If you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in text mode, you can only use the default partitioning schemes described in this section. You cannot add or remove partitions or file systems beyond those that the installer automatically adds or removes. If you require a customized layout at installation time, you should perform a graphical installation over a VNC connection or a kickstart installation.

Furthermore, advanced options such as LVM, encrypted filesystems, and resizable filesystems are available only in graphical mode and kickstart.

Important

If you have a RAID card, be aware that some BIOS types do not support booting from the RAID card. In cases such as these, the /boot/ partition must be created on a partition outside of the RAID array, such as on a separate hard drive. An internal hard drive is necessary to use for partition creation with problematic RAID cards.

A /boot/ partition is also necessary for software RAID setups.

If you have chosen to automatically partition your system, you should select Review and manually edit your /boot/ partition.

Partitioning allows you to divide your hard drive into isolated sections, where each section behaves as its own hard drive. Partitioning is particularly useful if you run multiple operating systems. If you are not sure how you want your system to be partitioned, read Appendix A, An Introduction to Disk Partitions for more information.

Figure 9.38. Disk Partitioning Setup

On this screen you can choose to create the default partition layout in one of four different ways, or choose to partition storage devices manually to create a custom layout.

The first four options allow you to perform an automated installation without having to partition your storage devices yourself. If you do not feel comfortable with partitioning your system, choose one of these options and let the installation program partition the storage devices for you. Depending on the option that you choose, you can still control what data (if any) is removed from the system.

Your options are:

Use All Space

Select this option to remove all partitions on your hard drives (this includes partitions created by other operating systems such as Windows VFAT or NTFS partitions).

Warning

If you select this option, all data on the selected hard drives is removed by the installation program. Do not select this option if you have information that you want to keep on the hard drives where you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

In particular, do not select this option when you configure a system to chain load the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader from another boot loader.

Replace Existing Linux System(s)

Select this option to remove only partitions created by a previous Linux installation. This does not remove other partitions you may have on your hard drives (such as VFAT or FAT32 partitions).

Shrink Current System

Select this option to resize your current data and partitions manually and install a default Red Hat Enterprise Linux layout in the space that is freed.

Warning

If you shrink partitions on which other operating systems are installed, you might not be able to use those operating systems. Although this partitioning option does not destroy data, operating systems typically require some free space in their partitions. Before you resize a partition that holds an operating system that you might want to use again, find out how much space you need to leave free.

Use Free Space

Select this option to retain your current data and partitions and install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in the unused space available on the storage drives. Ensure that there is sufficient space available on the storage drives before you select this option — refer to Section 3.6, “Do You Have Enough Disk Space?”.

Warning

If your 64-bit x86 system uses UEFI instead of BIOS, you will need to manually create a /boot partition. This partition must have an ext3 file system. If you choose to partition automatically, your system will not boot.

Choose your preferred partitioning method by clicking the radio button to the left of its description in the dialog box.

Select Encrypt system to encrypt all partitions except the /boot partition. Refer to Appendix C, Disk Encryption for information on encryption.

To review and make any necessary changes to the partitions created by automatic partitioning, select the Review option. After selecting Review and clicking Next to move forward, the partitions created for you by anaconda appear. You can make modifications to these partitions if they do not meet your needs.

Important

To configure the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader to chain load from a different boot loader, you must specify the boot drive manually. If you chose any of the automatic partitioning options, you must now select the Review and modify partitioning layout option before you click Next or you cannot specify the correct boot drive.

Important

When you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on a system with multipath and non-multipath storage devices, the automatic partitioning layout in the installer might create volume groups that contain a mix of multipath and non-multipath devices. This defeats the purpose of multipath storage.

We advise that you select only multipath or only non-multipath devices on the disk selection screen that appears after selecting automatic partitioning. Alternatively, select custom partitioning.

Click Next once you have made your selections to proceed.

9.14. Choosing a Disk Encryption Passphrase

If you selected the Encrypt System option, the installer prompts you for a passphrase with which to encrypt the partitions on the system.

9.15. Creating a Custom Layout or Modifying the Default Layout

If you chose one of the automatic partitioning options and selected Review, you can either accept the current partition settings (click Next), or modify the setup manually in the partitioning screen.

If you chose to create a custom layout, you must tell the installation program where to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This is done by defining mount points for one or more disk partitions in which Red Hat Enterprise Linux is installed. You may also need to create and/or delete partitions at this time.

Warning

If your 64-bit x86 system uses UEFI instead of BIOS, you will need to manually create a /boot partition. This partition must have an ext3 file system. If you choose to partition automatically, your system will not boot.

Important

On systems using UEFI firmware, the boot drive (the disk where the boot loader will be installed) must contain a special partition (EFI System Partition) at least 50 MB in size with a mount point of /boot/efi.

The boot drive must also have a GUID Partition Table (GPT) label. If you want to reuse a disk with existing partitions and a Master Boot Record (MBR) label, the disk must be relabeled. All existing data on the disk will be lost.

To relabel a disk to GPT in the graphical installer, first go back to Section 9.13, “Disk Partitioning Setup”, and choose an automatic partitioning option such as Use All Space. Check the Review and modify partitioning layout check box, and click Next. On the next screen, modify the automatically created layout as needed.

This workaround is always necessary when reusing a MBR-labeled drive. If you choose Create a Custom Layout at the start of the partitioning process, the disk will not be relabeled and you will not be able to proceed.

Anaconda can handle the partitioning requirements for a typical installation.

Figure 9.40. Partitioning on x86, AMD64, and Intel 64 Systems

The partitioning screen contains two panes. The top pane contains a graphical representation of the hard drive, logical volume, or RAID device selected in the lower pane.

Above the graphical representation of the device, you can review the name of the drive (such as /dev/sda or LogVol00), its size (in MB), and its model as detected by the installation program.

Using your mouse, click once to highlight a particular field in the graphical display. Double-click to edit an existing partition or to create a partition out of existing free space.

The lower pane contains a list of all drives, logical volumes, and RAID devices to be used during installation, as specified earlier in the installation process — refer to Section 9.10, “ Assign Storage Devices ”

Devices are grouped by type. Click on the small triangles to the left of each device type to view or hide devices of that type.

Anaconda displays several details for each device listed:

Device

the name of the device, logical volume, or partition

Size (MB)

the size of the device, logical volume, or partition (in MB)

Mount Point/RAID/Volume

the mount point (location within a file system) on which a partition is to be mounted, or the name of the RAID or logical volume group of which it is a part

Type

the type of partition. If the partition is a standard partition, this field displays the type of file system on the partition (for example, ext4). Otherwise, it indicates that the partition is a physical volume (LVM), or part of a software RAID

Format

A check mark in this column indicates that the partition will be formatted during installation.

Beneath the lower pane are four buttons: Create, Edit, Delete, and Reset.

Select a device or partition by clicking on it in either the graphical representation in the upper pane of in the list in the lower pane, then click one of the four buttons to carry out the following actions:

Create

create a new partition, logical volume, or software RAID

Edit

change an existing partition, logical volume, or software RAID. Note that you can only shrink partitions with the Resize button, not enlarge partitions.

Delete

remove a partition, logical volume, or software RAID

Reset

undo all changes made in this screen

9.15.1. Create Storage

The Create Storage dialog allows you to create new storage partitions, logical volumes, and software RAIDs. Anaconda presents options as available or unavailable depending on the storage already present on the system or configured to transfer to the system.

RAID Partition — create a partition in unallocated space to form part of a software RAID device. To form a software RAID device, two or more RAID partitions must be available on the system.

RAID Device — combine two or more RAID partitions into a software RAID device. When you choose this option, you can specify the type of RAID device to create (the RAID level). This option is only available when two or more RAID partitions are available on the system.

Mount Point: Enter the partition's mount point. For example, if this partition should be the root partition, enter /; enter /boot for the /boot partition, and so on. You can also use the pull-down menu to choose the correct mount point for your partition. For a swap partition the mount point should not be set — setting the filesystem type to swap is sufficient.

File System Type: Using the pull-down menu, select the appropriate file system type for this partition. For more information on file system types, refer to Section 9.15.2.1, “File System Types”.

Allowable Drives: This field contains a list of the hard disks installed on your system. If a hard disk's box is highlighted, then a desired partition can be created on that hard disk. If the box is not checked, then the partition will never be created on that hard disk. By using different checkbox settings, you can have anaconda place partitions where you need them, or let anaconda decide where partitions should go.

Size (MB): Enter the size (in megabytes) of the partition. Note, this field starts with 200 MB; unless changed, only a 200 MB partition will be created.

Additional Size Options: Choose whether to keep this partition at a fixed size, to allow it to "grow" (fill up the available hard drive space) to a certain point, or to allow it to grow to fill any remaining hard drive space available.

If you choose Fill all space up to (MB), you must give size constraints in the field to the right of this option. This allows you to keep a certain amount of space free on your hard drive for future use.

Encrypt: Choose whether to encrypt the partition so that the data stored on it cannot be accessed without a passphrase, even if the storage device is connected to another system. Refer to Appendix C, Disk Encryption for information on encryption of storage devices. If you select this option, the installer prompts you to provide a passphrase before it writes the partition to the disk.

OK: Select OK once you are satisfied with the settings and wish to create the partition.

Cancel: Select Cancel if you do not want to create the partition.

9.15.2.1. File System Types

Red Hat Enterprise Linux allows you to create different partition types and file systems. The following is a brief description of the different partition types and file systems available, and how they can be used.

Partition types

standard partition — A standard partition can contain a file system or swap space, or it can provide a container for software RAID or an LVM physical volume.

swap — Swap partitions are used to support virtual memory. In other words, data is written to a swap partition when there is not enough RAM to store the data your system is processing. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Deployment Guide for additional information.

software RAID — Creating two or more software RAID partitions allows you to create a RAID device. For more information regarding RAID, refer to the chapter RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Deployment Guide.

physical volume (LVM) — Creating one or more physical volume (LVM) partitions allows you to create an LVM logical volume. LVM can improve performance when using physical disks. For more information regarding LVM, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Deployment Guide.

File systems

ext4 — The ext4 file system is based on the ext3 file system and features a number of improvements. These include support for larger file systems and larger files, faster and more efficient allocation of disk space, no limit on the number of subdirectories within a directory, faster file system checking, and more robust journaling. A maximum file system size of 16TB is supported for ext4. The ext4 file system is selected by default and is highly recommended.

Note

The user_xattr and acl mount options are automatically set on ext4 systems by the installation system. These options enable extended attributes and access control lists, respectively. More information about mount options can be found in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Storage Administration Guide.

ext3 — The ext3 file system is based on the ext2 file system and has one main advantage — journaling. Using a journaling file system reduces time spent recovering a file system after a crash as there is no need to fsck[3] the file system. A maximum file system size of 16TB is supported for ext3.

xfs — XFS is a highly scalable, high-performance file system that supports filesystems up to 16 exabytes (approximately 16 million terabytes), files up to 8 exabytes (approximately 8 million terabytes) and directory structures containing tens of millions of entries. XFS supports metadata journaling, which facilitates quicker crash recovery. The XFS file system can also be defragmented and resized while mounted and active.

Note

The maximum size of an XFS partition the installer can create is 100 TB.

vfat — The VFAT file system is a Linux file system that is compatible with Microsoft Windows long filenames on the FAT file system.

Btrfs — Btrfs is under development as a file system capable of addressing and managing more files, larger files, and larger volumes than the ext2, ext3, and ext4 file systems. Btrfs is designed to make the file system tolerant of errors, and to facilitate the detection and repair of errors when they occur. It uses checksums to ensure the validity of data and metadata, and maintains snapshots of the file system that can be used for backup or repair.

Because Btrfs is still experimental and under development, the installation program does not offer it by default. If you want to create a Btrfs partition on a drive, you must commence the installation process with the boot option btrfs. Refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options for instructions.

Warning

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 includes Btrfs as a technology preview to allow you to experiment with this file system. You should not choose Btrfs for partitions that will contain valuable data or that are essential for the operation of important systems.

9.15.3. Create Software RAID

Redundant arrays of independent disks (RAIDs) are constructed from multiple storage devices that are arranged to provide increased performance and — in some configurations — greater fault tolerance. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Storage Administration Guide for a description of different kinds of RAIDs.

To make a RAID device, you must first create software RAID partitions. Once you have created two or more software RAID partitions, select RAID to join the software RAID partitions into a RAID device.

RAID Partition

Choose this option to configure a partition for software RAID. This option is the only choice available if your disk contains no software RAID partitions. This is the same dialog that appears when you add a standard partition — refer to Section 9.15.2, “Adding Partitions” for a description of the available options. Note, however, that File System Type must be set to software RAID

Figure 9.43. Create a software RAID partition

RAID Device

Choose this option to construct a RAID device from two or more existing software RAID partitions. This option is available if two or more software RAID partitions have been configured.

Figure 9.44. Create a RAID device

Select the file system type as for a standard partition.

Anaconda automatically suggests a name for the RAID device, but you can manually select names from md0 to md15.

Click the checkboxes beside individual storage devices to include or remove them from this RAID.

The RAID Level corresponds to a particular type of RAID. Choose from the following options:

RAID 0 — distributes data across multiple storage devices. Level 0 RAIDs offer increased performance over standard partitions, and can be used to pool the storage of multiple devices into one large virtual device. Note that Level 0 RAIDS offer no redundancy and that the failure of one device in the array destroys the entire array. RAID 0 requires at least two RAID partitions.

RAID 1 — mirrors the data on one storage device onto one or more other storage devices. Additional devices in the array provide increasing levels of redundancy. RAID 1 requires at least two RAID partitions.

RAID 4 — distributes data across multiple storage devices, but uses one device in the array to store parity information that safeguards the array in case any device within the array fails. Because all parity information is stored on the one device, access to this device creates a bottleneck in the performance of the array. RAID 4 requires at least three RAID partitions.

RAID 5 — distributes data and parity information across multiple storage devices. Level 5 RAIDs therefore offer the performance advantages of distributing data across multiple devices, but do not share the performance bottleneck of level 4 RAIDs because the parity information is also distributed through the array. RAID 5 requires at least three RAID partitions.

RAID 6 — level 6 RAIDs are similar to level 5 RAIDs, but instead of storing only one set of parity data, they store two sets. RAID 6 requires at least four RAID partitions.

RAID 10 — level 10 RAIDs are nested RAIDs or hybrid RAIDs. Level 10 RAIDs are constructed by distributing data over mirrored sets of storage devices. For example, a level 10 RAID constructed from four RAID partitions consists of two pairs of partitions in which one partition mirrors the other. Data is then distributed across both pairs of storage devices, as in a level 0 RAID. RAID 10 requires at least four RAID partitions.

9.15.4. Create LVM Logical Volume

Important

LVM initial set up is not available during text-mode installation. If you need to create an LVM configuration from scratch, press Alt+F2 to use a different virtual console, and run the lvm command. To return to the text-mode installation, press Alt+F1.

Logical Volume Management (LVM) presents a simple logical view of underlying physical storage space, such as a hard drives or LUNs. Partitions on physical storage are represented as physical volumes that can be grouped together into volume groups. Each volume group can be divided into multiple logical volumes, each of which is analogous to a standard disk partition. Therefore, LVM logical volumes function as partitions that can span multiple physical disks.

Choose this option to configure a partition or device as an LVM physical volume. This option is the only choice available if your storage does not already contain LVM Volume Groups. This is the same dialog that appears when you add a standard partition — refer to Section 9.15.2, “Adding Partitions” for a description of the available options. Note, however, that File System Type must be set to physical volume (LVM)

Figure 9.45. Create an LVM Physical Volume

Make LVM Volume Group

Choose this option to create LVM volume groups from the available LVM physical volumes, or to add existing logical volumes to a volume group.

Figure 9.46. Make LVM Volume Group

To assign one or more physical volumes to a volume group, first name the volume group. Then select the physical volumes to be used in the volume group. Finally, configure logical volumes on any volume groups using the Add, Edit and Delete options.

You may not remove a physical volume from a volume group if doing so would leave insufficient space for that group's logical volumes. Take for example a volume group made up of two 5 GB LVM physical volume partitions, which contains an 8 GB logical volume. The installer would not allow you to remove either of the component physical volumes, since that would leave only 5 GB in the group for an 8 GB logical volume. If you reduce the total size of any logical volumes appropriately, you may then remove a physical volume from the volume group. In the example, reducing the size of the logical volume to 4 GB would allow you to remove one of the 5 GB physical volumes.

Make Logical Volume

Choose this option to create an LVM logical volume. Select a mount point, file system type, and size (in MB) just as if it were a standard disk partition. You can also choose a name for the logical volume and specify the volume group to which it will belong.

Figure 9.47. Make Logical Volume

9.15.5. Recommended Partitioning Scheme

9.15.5.1. x86, AMD64, and Intel 64 systems

We recommend that you create the following partitions for x86, AMD64, and Intel 64 systems:

A swap partition

A /boot partition

A / partition

A home partition

A /boot/efi partition (EFI System Partition) - only on systems with UEFI firmware

A swap partition (at least 256 MB) — Swap partitions support virtual memory: data is written to a swap partition when there is not enough RAM to store the data your system is processing.

In years past, the recommended amount of swap space increased linearly with the amount of RAM in the system. Modern systems often include hundreds of gigabytes of RAM, however. As a consequence, recommended swap space is considered a function of system memory workload, not system memory.

The following table provides the recommended size of a swap partition depending on the amount of RAM in your system and whether you want sufficient memory for your system to hibernate. The recommended swap partition size is established automatically during installation. To allow for hibernation, however, you will need to edit the swap space in the custom partitioning stage.

Important

Recommendations in the table below are especially important on systems with low memory (1 GB and less). Failure to allocate sufficient swap space on these systems may cause issues such as instability or even render the installed system unbootable.

Table 9.2. Recommended System Swap Space

Amount of RAM in the system

Recommended swap space

Recommended swap space if allowing for hibernation

⩽ 2GB

2 times the amount of RAM

3 times the amount of RAM

> 2GB – 8GB

Equal to the amount of RAM

2 times the amount of RAM

> 8GB – 64GB

At least 4 GB

1.5 times the amount of RAM

> 64GB

At least 4 GB

Hibernation not recommended

At the border between each range listed above (for example, a system with 2GB, 8GB, or 64GB of system RAM), discretion can be exercised with regard to chosen swap space and hibernation support. If your system resources allow for it, increasing the swap space may lead to better performance.

Swap space size recommendations issued for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0, 6.1, and 6.2 differed from the current recommendations, which were first issued with the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3 in June 2012 and did not account for hibernation space. Automatic installations of these earlier versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 still generate a swap space in line with these superseded recommendations. However, manually selecting a swap space size in line with the newer recommendations issued for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3 is advisable for optimal performance.

A /boot/ partition (250 MB)

The partition mounted on /boot/ contains the operating system kernel (which allows your system to boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux), along with files used during the bootstrap process. For most users, a 250 MB boot partition is sufficient.

Important

The /boot and / (root) partition in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 can only use the ext2, ext3, and ext4 (recommended) file systems. You cannot use any other file system for this partition, such as Btrfs, XFS, or VFAT. Other partitions, such as /home, can use any supported file system, including Btrfs and XFS (if available). See the following article on the Red Hat Customer Portal for additional information: https://access.redhat.com/solutions/667273.

Warning

Note that normally the /boot partition is created automatically by the installer. However, if the / (root) partition is larger than 2 TB and (U)EFI is used for booting, you need to create a separate /boot partition that is smaller than 2 TB to boot the machine successfully.

Note

If your hard drive is more than 1024 cylinders (and your system was manufactured more than two years ago), you may need to create a /boot/ partition if you want the / (root) partition to use all of the remaining space on your hard drive.

Note

If you have a RAID card, be aware that some BIOS types do not support booting from the RAID card. In cases such as these, the /boot/ partition must be created on a partition outside of the RAID array, such as on a separate hard drive.

A root partition (3.0 GB - 5.0 GB) — this is where "/" (the root directory) is located. In this setup, all files (except those stored in /boot) are on the root partition.

A 3.0 GB partition allows you to install a minimal installation, while a 5.0 GB root partition lets you perform a full installation, choosing all package groups.

Important

The /boot and / (root) partition in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 can only use the ext2, ext3, and ext4 (recommended) file systems. You cannot use any other file system for this partition, such as Btrfs, XFS, or VFAT. Other partitions, such as /home, can use any supported file system, including Btrfs and XFS (if available). See the following article on the Red Hat Customer Portal for additional information: https://access.redhat.com/solutions/667273.

Important

The / (or root) partition is the top of the directory structure. The /root directory (sometimes pronounced "slash-root") is the home directory of the user account for system administration.

A home partition (at least 100 MB)

To store user data separately from system data, create a dedicated partition within a volume group for the /home directory. This will enable you to upgrade or reinstall Red Hat Enterprise Linux without erasing user data files.

The following table summarizes minimum partition sizes for the partitions containing the listed directories. You do not have to make a separate partition for each of these directories. For instance, if the partition containing /foo must be at least 500 MB, and you do not make a separate /foo partition, then the / (root) partition must be at least 500 MB.

Table 9.3. Minimum partition sizes

Directory

Minimum size

/

250 MB

/usr

250 MB

/tmp

50 MB

/var

384 MB

/home

100 MB

/boot

250 MB

Note

Leave Excess Capacity Unallocated, and only assign storage capacity to those partitions you require immediately. You may allocate free space at any time, to meet needs as they occur. To learn about a more flexible method for storage management, refer to Appendix D, Understanding LVM.

If you are not sure how best to configure the partitions for your computer, accept the default partition layout.

9.15.5.1.1. Advice on Partitions

Optimal partition setup depends on the usage for the Linux system in question. The following tips may help you decide how to allocate your disk space.

Consider encrypting any partitions that might contain sensitive data. Encryption prevents unauthorized people from accessing the data on the partitions, even if they have access to the physical storage device. In most cases, you should at least encrypt the /home partition.

Each kernel installed on your system requires approximately 30 MB on the /boot partition. Unless you plan to install a great many kernels, the default partition size of 250 MB for /boot should suffice.

Important

The /boot and / (root) partition in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 can only use the ext2, ext3, and ext4 (recommended) file systems. You cannot use any other file system for this partition, such as Btrfs, XFS, or VFAT. Other partitions, such as /home, can use any supported file system, including Btrfs and XFS (if available). See the following article on the Red Hat Customer Portal for additional information: https://access.redhat.com/solutions/667273.

The /var directory holds content for a number of applications, including the Apache web server. It also is used to store downloaded update packages on a temporary basis. Ensure that the partition containing the /var directory has enough space to download pending updates and hold your other content.

Warning

The PackageKit update software downloads updated packages to /var/cache/yum/ by default. If you partition the system manually, and create a separate /var/ partition, be sure to create the partition large enough (3.0 GB or more) to download package updates.

The /usr directory holds the majority of software content on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. For an installation of the default set of software, allocate at least 4 GB of space. If you are a software developer or plan to use your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system to learn software development skills, you may want to at least double this allocation.

Consider leaving a portion of the space in an LVM volume group unallocated. This unallocated space gives you flexibility if your space requirements change but you do not wish to remove data from other partitions to reallocate storage.

a If you separate subdirectories into partitions, you can retain content in those subdirectories if you decide to install a new version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux over your current system. For instance, if you intend to run a MySQL databasge in /var/lib/mysql, make a separate partition for that directory in case you need to reinstall later.

UEFI systems should contain a 50-150MB /boot/efi partition with an EFI System Partition filesystem.

The following table is a possible partition setup for a system with a single, new 80 GB hard disk and 1 GB of RAM. Note that approximately 10 GB of the volume group is unallocated to allow for future growth.

Note

This setup is an example, and is not optimal for all use cases.

Example 9.1. Example partition setup

Table 9.4. Example partition setup

Partition

Size and type

/boot

250 MB ext3 partition

swap

2 GB swap

LVM physical volume

Remaining space, as one LVM volume group

The physical volume is assigned to the default volume group and divided into the following logical volumes:

Table 9.5. Example partition setup: LVM physical volume

Partition

Size and type

/

13 GB ext4

/var

4 GB ext4

/home

50 GB ext4

9.16. Write Changes to Disk

The installer prompts you to confirm the partitioning options that you selected. Click Write changes to disk to allow the installer to partition your hard drive and install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Figure 9.48. Writing storage configuration to disk

If you are certain that you want to proceed, click Write changes to disk.

Warning

Up to this point in the installation process, the installer has made no lasting changes to your computer. When you click Write changes to disk, the installer will allocate space on your hard drive and start to transfer Red Hat Enterprise Linux into this space. Depending on the partitioning option that you chose, this process might include erasing data that already exists on your computer.

To revise any of the choices that you made up to this point, click Go back. To cancel installation completely, switch off your computer. To switch off most computers at this stage, press the power button and hold it down for a few seconds.

After you click Write changes to disk, allow the installation process to complete. If the process is interrupted (for example, by you switching off or resetting the computer, or by a power outage) you will probably not be able to use your computer until you restart and complete the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation process, or install a different operating system.

9.17. Package Group Selection

Now that you have made most of the choices for your installation, you are ready to confirm the default package selection or customize packages for your system.

The Package Installation Defaults screen appears and details the default package set for your Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation. This screen varies depending on the version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux you are installing.

Important

If you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in text mode, you cannot make package selections. The installer automatically selects packages only from the base and core groups. These packages are sufficient to ensure that the system is operational at the end of the installation process, ready to install updates and new packages. To change the package selection, complete the installation, then use the Add/Remove Software application to make desired changes.

Figure 9.49. Package Group Selection

By default, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation process loads a selection of software that is suitable for a system deployed as a basic server. Note that this installation does not include a graphical environment. To include a selection of software suitable for other roles, click the radio button that corresponds to one of the following options:

Basic Server

This option provides a basic installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux for use on a server.

Database Server

This option provides the MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.

Web server

This option provides the Apache web server.

Enterprise Identity Server Base

This option provides OpenLDAP and Enterprise Identity Management (IPA) to create an identity and authentication server.

Virtual Host

This option provides the KVM and Virtual Machine Manager tools to create a host for virtual machines.

Desktop

This option provides the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, graphical tools such as the GIMP, and multimedia applications.

This option provides only the packages essential to run Red Hat Enterprise Linux. A minimal installation provides the basis for a single-purpose server or desktop appliance and maximizes performance and security on such an installation.

Warning

Minimal installation currently does not configure the firewall (iptables/ip6tables) by default because the authconfig and system-config-firewall-base packages are missing from the selection. To work around this issue, you can use a Kickstart file to add these packages to your selection. See the Red Hat Customer Portal for details about the workaround, and Chapter 32, Kickstart Installations for information about Kickstart files.

If you do not use the workaround, the installation will complete successfully, but no firewall will be configured, presenting a security risk.

To customize your package set further, select the Customize now option on the screen. Clicking Next takes you to the Package Group Selection screen.

9.17.1. Installing from Additional Repositories

You can define additional repositories to increase the software available to your system during installation. A repository is a network location that stores software packages along with metadata that describes them. Many of the software packages used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux require other software to be installed. The installer uses the metadata to ensure that these requirements are met for every piece of software you select for installation.

The basic options are:

The High Availability repository includes packages for high-availability clustering (also known as failover clustering) using the Red Hat High-availability Service Management component.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux repository is automatically selected for you. It contains the complete collection of software that was released as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9, with the various pieces of software in their versions that were current at the time of release.

The Resilient Storage repository includes packages for storage clustering using the Red Hat global file system (GFS).

If you select Add additional software repositories, the Edit repository dialog appears. Provide a Repository name and the Repository URL for its location.

Once you have located a mirror, to determine the URL to use, find the directory on the mirror that contains a directory named repodata.

Once you provide information for an additional repository, the installer reads the package metadata over the network. Software that is specially marked is then included in the package group selection system.

Warning

If you choose Back from the package selection screen, any extra repository data you may have entered is lost. This allows you to effectively cancel extra repositories. Currently there is no way to cancel only a single repository once entered.

9.17.2. Customizing the Software Selection

Note

Your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system automatically supports the language that you selected at the start of the installation process. To include support for additional languages, select the package group for those languages from the Languages category.

Select Customize now to specify the software packages for your final system in more detail. This option causes the installation process to display an additional customization screen when you select Next.

Figure 9.53. Package Group Details

Red Hat Enterprise Linux divides the included software into package groups. For ease of use, the package selection screen displays these groups as categories.

You can select package groups, which group components together according to function (for example, X Window System and Editors), individual packages, or a combination of the two.

To view the package groups for a category, select the category from the list on the left. The list on the right displays the package groups for the currently selected category.

To specify a package group for installation, select the check box next to the group. The box at the bottom of the screen displays the details of the package group that is currently highlighted. None of the packages from a group will be installed unless the check box for that group is selected.

If you select a package group, Red Hat Enterprise Linux automatically installs the base and mandatory packages for that group. To change which optional packages within a selected group will be installed, select the Optional Packages button under the description of the group. Then use the check box next to an individual package name to change its selection.

In the package selection list on the right, you can use the context menu as a shortcut to select or de-select base and mandatory packages or all optional packages.

Figure 9.54. Package Selection List Context Menu

After you choose the desired packages, select Next to proceed. The installer checks your selection, and automatically adds any extra packages required to use the software you selected. When you have finished selecting packages, click Close to save your optional package selections and return to the main package selection screen.

The packages that you select are not permanent. After you boot your system, use the Add/Remove Software tool to either install new software or remove installed packages. To run this tool, from the main menu, select System → Administration → Add/Remove Software. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux software management system downloads the latest packages from network servers, rather than using those on the installation discs.

9.17.2.1. Core Network Services

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux installations include the following network services:

centralized logging through syslog

email through SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

network file sharing through NFS (Network File System)

remote access through SSH (Secure SHell)

resource advertising through mDNS (multicast DNS)

The default installation also provides:

network file transfer through HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

printing through CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System)

remote desktop access through VNC (Virtual Network Computing)

Some automated processes on your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system use the email service to send reports and messages to the system administrator. By default, the email, logging, and printing services do not accept connections from other systems. Red Hat Enterprise Linux installs the NFS sharing, HTTP, and VNC components without enabling those services.

You may configure your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system after installation to offer email, file sharing, logging, printing and remote desktop access services. The SSH service is enabled by default. You may use NFS to access files on other systems without enabling the NFS sharing service.

9.18. x86, AMD64, and Intel 64 Boot Loader Configuration

To boot the system without boot media, you usually need to install a boot loader. A boot loader is the first software program that runs when a computer starts. It is responsible for loading and transferring control to the operating system kernel software. The kernel, in turn, initializes the rest of the operating system.

Important

If you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in text mode, the installer configures the bootloader automatically and you cannot customize bootloader settings during the installation process.

GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader), which is installed by default, is a very powerful boot loader. GRUB can load a variety of free operating systems, as well as proprietary operating systems with chain-loading (the mechanism for loading unsupported operating systems, such as Windows, by loading another boot loader). Note that the version of GRUB in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 is an old and stable version now known as "GRUB Legacy" since upstream development moved to GRUB 2.[4] Red Hat remains committed to maintaining the version of GRUB that we ship with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, just as we do with all packages that we ship.

Note

The GRUB menu defaults to being hidden, except on dual-boot systems. To show the GRUB menu during system boot, press and hold the Shift key before the kernel is loaded. (Any other key works as well but the Shift key is the safest to use.)

Figure 9.55. Boot Loader Configuration

If there are no other operating systems on your computer, or you are completely removing any other operating systems the installation program will install GRUB as your boot loader without any intervention. In that case you may continue on to Section 9.17, “Package Group Selection”.

You may have a boot loader installed on your system already. An operating system may install its own preferred boot loader, or you may have installed a third-party boot loader.If your boot loader does not recognize Linux partitions, you may not be able to boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Use GRUB as your boot loader to boot Linux and most other operating systems. Follow the directions in this chapter to install GRUB.

Warning

If you install GRUB, it may overwrite your existing boot loader.

By default, the installation program installs GRUB in the master boot record or MBR, of the device for the root file system. To decline installation of a new boot loader, unselect Install boot loader on /dev/sda.

Warning

If you choose not to install GRUB for any reason, you will not be able to boot the system directly, and you must use another boot method (such as a commercial boot loader application). Use this option only if you are sure you have another way of booting the system!

If you have other operating systems already installed, Red Hat Enterprise Linux attempts to automatically detect and configure GRUB to boot them. You may manually configure any additional operating systems if GRUB does not detect them.

To add, remove, or change the detected operating system settings, use the options provided.

Add

Select Add to include an additional operating system in GRUB.

Select the disk partition which contains the bootable operating system from the drop-down list and give the entry a label. GRUB displays this label in its boot menu.

Edit

To change an entry in the GRUB boot menu, select the entry and then select Edit.

Delete

To remove an entry from the GRUB boot menu, select the entry and then select Delete.

The Label column lists what you must enter at the boot prompt, in non-graphical boot loaders, in order to boot the desired operating system.

Once you have loaded the GRUB boot screen, use the arrow keys to choose a boot label or type e for edit. You are presented with a list of items in the configuration file for the boot label you have selected.

Boot loader passwords provide a security mechanism in an environment where physical access to your server is available.

If you are installing a boot loader, you should create a password to protect your system. Without a boot loader password, users with access to your system can pass options to the kernel which can compromise your system security. With a boot loader password in place, the password must first be entered before selecting any non-standard boot options. However, it is still possible for someone with physical access to the machine to boot from a diskette, CD-ROM, DVD, or USB media if the BIOS supports it. Security plans which include boot loader passwords should also address alternate boot methods.

Note

You may not require a GRUB password if your system only has trusted operators, or is physically secured with controlled console access. However, if an untrusted person can get physical access to your computer's keyboard and monitor, that person can reboot the system and access GRUB. A password is helpful in this case.

If you choose to use a boot loader password to enhance your system security, be sure to select the checkbox labeled Use a boot loader password.

Once selected, enter a password and confirm it.

GRUB stores the password in encrypted form, so it cannot be read or recovered. If you forget the boot password, boot the system normally and then change the password entry in the /boot/grub/grub.conf file. If you cannot boot, you may be able to use the "rescue" mode on the first Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation disc to reset the GRUB password.

If you do need to change the GRUB password, use the grub-md5-crypt utility. For information on using this utility, use the command man grub-md5-crypt in a terminal window to read the manual pages.

Important

When selecting a GRUB password, be aware that GRUB recognizes only the QWERTY keyboard layout, regardless of the keyboard actually attached to the system. If you use a keyboard with a significantly different layout, it might be more effective to memorize a pattern of keystrokes rather than the word that the pattern produces.

To configure more advanced boot loader options, such as changing the drive order or passing options to the kernel, be sure Configure advanced boot loader options is selected before clicking Next.

9.18.1. Advanced Boot Loader Configuration

Now that you have chosen which boot loader to install, you can also determine where you want the boot loader to be installed. You may install the boot loader in one of two places:

The Master Boot Record (MBR) — This is the recommended place to install a boot loader on systems with BIOS firmware, unless the MBR already starts another operating system loader, such as System Commander. The MBR is a special area on your hard drive that is automatically loaded by your computer's BIOS, and is the earliest point at which the boot loader can take control of the boot process. If you install it in the MBR, when your machine boots, GRUB presents a boot prompt. You can then boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux or any other operating system that you have configured the boot loader to boot.

The EFI System Partition — Systems with UEFI firmware require a special partition for installing the boot loader. This should be a physical (non-LVM) partition of the efi type at least 50 MB in size; the recommended size is 200 MB. The drive containing this partition must be labeled with a GUID Partition Table (GPT) instead of a Master Boot Record. If you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a drive with a MBR, the drive must be relabeled; all data on the drive will be lost in the process.

The first sector of your boot partition — This is recommended if you are already using another boot loader on your system. In this case, your other boot loader takes control first. You can then configure that boot loader to start GRUB, which then boots Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Note

If you install GRUB as a secondary boot loader, you must reconfigure your primary boot loader whenever you install and boot from a new kernel. The kernel of an operating system such as Microsoft Windows does not boot in the same fashion. Most users therefore use GRUB as the primary boot loader on dual-boot systems.

Figure 9.56. Boot Loader Installation

Note

If you have a RAID card, be aware that some BIOS types do not support booting from the RAID card. In cases such as these, the boot loader should not be installed on the MBR of the RAID array. Rather, the boot loader should be installed on the MBR of the same drive as the /boot/ partition was created.

If your system only uses Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you should choose the MBR.

Click the Change Drive Order button if you would like to rearrange the drive order or if your BIOS does not return the correct drive order. Changing the drive order may be useful if you have multiple SCSI adapters, or both SCSI and IDE adapters, and you want to boot from the SCSI device.

Note

While partitioning your hard drive, keep in mind that the BIOS in some older systems cannot access more than the first 1024 cylinders on a hard drive. If this is the case, leave enough room for the /boot Linux partition on the first 1024 cylinders of your hard drive to boot Linux. The other Linux partitions can be after cylinder 1024.

9.18.2. Rescue Mode

Rescue mode provides the ability to boot a small Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment entirely from boot media or some other boot method instead of the system's hard drive. There may be times when you are unable to get Red Hat Enterprise Linux running completely enough to access files on your system's hard drive. Using rescue mode, you can access the files stored on your system's hard drive, even if you cannot actually run Red Hat Enterprise Linux from that hard drive. If you need to use rescue mode, try the following method:

Boot an x86, AMD64, or Intel 64 system from any installation medium, such as CD, DVD, USB, or PXE, and type linux rescue at the installation boot prompt. Refer to Chapter 36, Basic System Recovery for a more complete description of rescue mode.

9.18.3. Alternative Boot Loaders

GRUB is the default bootloader for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but is not the only choice. A variety of open-source and proprietary alternatives to GRUB are available to load Red Hat Enterprise Linux, including LILO, SYSLINUX, and Acronis Disk Director Suite.

Important

Red Hat does not provide customer support for third-party boot loaders.

9.19. Installing Packages

At this point there is nothing left for you to do until all the packages have been installed. How quickly this happens depends on the number of packages you have selected and your computer's speed.

Depending on the available resources, you might see the following progress bar while the installer resolves dependencies of the packages you selected for installation:

Figure 9.57. Starting installation

Red Hat Enterprise Linux reports the installation progress on the screen as it writes the selected packages to your system.

Figure 9.58. Packages completed

For your reference, a complete log of your installation can be found in /root/install.log once you reboot your system.

9.20. Installation Complete

The installation program prompts you to prepare your system for reboot. Remember to remove any installation media if it is not ejected automatically upon reboot.

After your computer's normal power-up sequence has completed, Red Hat Enterprise Linux loads and starts. By default, the start process is hidden behind a graphical screen that displays a progress bar. Eventually, a login: prompt or a GUI login screen (if you installed the X Window System and chose to start X automatically) appears.

The first time you start your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system in run level 5 (the graphical run level), the FirstBoot tool appears, which guides you through the Red Hat Enterprise Linux configuration. Using this tool, you can set your system time and date, install software, register your machine with Red Hat Network, and more. FirstBoot lets you configure your environment at the beginning, so that you can get started using your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system quickly.

[2]
A root password is the administrative password for your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. You should only log in as root when needed for system maintenance. The root account does not operate within the restrictions placed on normal user accounts, so changes made as root can have implications for your entire system.

[3]
The fsck application is used to check the file system for metadata consistency and optionally repair one or more Linux file systems.

Chapter 10. Troubleshooting Installation on an Intel or AMD System

This section discusses some common installation problems and their solutions.

For debugging purposes, anaconda logs installation actions into files in the /tmp directory. These files include:

/tmp/anaconda.log

general anaconda messages

/tmp/program.log

all external programs run by anaconda

/tmp/storage.log

extensive storage module information

/tmp/yum.log

yum package installation messages

/tmp/syslog

hardware-related system messages

If the installation fails, the messages from these files are consolidated into /tmp/anaconda-tb-identifier, where identifier is a random string.

All of the files above reside in the installer's ramdisk and are thus volatile. To make a permanent copy, copy those files to another system on the network using scp on the installation image (not the other way round).

10.1. You Are Unable to Boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux

10.1.1. Are You Unable to Boot With Your RAID Card?

If you have performed an installation and cannot boot your system properly, you may need to reinstall and create your partitions differently.

Some BIOS types do not support booting from RAID cards. At the end of an installation, a text-based screen showing the boot loader prompt (for example, GRUB: ) and a flashing cursor may be all that appears. If this is the case, you must repartition your system.

Whether you choose automatic or manual partitioning, you must install your /boot partition outside of the RAID array, such as on a separate hard drive. An internal hard drive is necessary to use for partition creation with problematic RAID cards.

You must also install your preferred boot loader (GRUB or LILO) on the MBR of a drive that is outside of the RAID array. This should be the same drive that hosts the /boot/ partition.

Once these changes have been made, you should be able to finish your installation and boot the system properly.

10.1.2. Is Your System Displaying Signal 11 Errors?

A signal 11 error, commonly known as a segmentation fault, means that the program accessed a memory location that was not assigned to it. A signal 11 error may be due to a bug in one of the software programs that is installed, or faulty hardware.

If you receive a fatal signal 11 error during your installation, it is probably due to a hardware error in memory on your system's bus. Like other operating systems, Red Hat Enterprise Linux places its own demands on your system's hardware. Some of this hardware may not be able to meet those demands, even if they work properly under another OS.

Ensure that you have the latest installation updates and images. Review the online errata to see if newer versions are available. If the latest images still fail, it may be due to a problem with your hardware. Commonly, these errors are in your memory or CPU-cache. A possible solution for this error is turning off the CPU-cache in the BIOS, if your system supports this. You could also try to swap your memory around in the motherboard slots to check if the problem is either slot or memory related.

Another option is to perform a media check on your installation DVD. Anaconda, the installation program, has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. Red Hat recommends that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: or yaboot: prompt:

10.1.3. Diagnosing Early Boot Problems

The boot console may be useful in cases where your system fails to boot, but does successfully display the GRUB boot menu. Messages in the boot console can inform you of the current kernel version, command line parameters which have been passed to the kernel from the boot menu, enabled hardware support for the current kernel, physical memory map and other information which may help you find the cause of your problems.

To enable the boot console, select an entry in the GRUB boot menu, and press e to edit boot options. On the line starting with the keyword kernel (or linux in some cases), append the following:

On a system with BIOS firmware, append earlyprintk=vga,keep. Boot console messages should then be displayed on the system display.

On a system with UEFI firmware, append earlyprintk=efi,keep. Boot console messages should then be displayed in the EFI frame buffer.

You can also append the quiet option (if not present already) to suppress all other messages and only display messages from the boot console.

Note

The earlyprintk options for BIOS and UEFI should also be enabled in the kernel's /boot/config-version file - the CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK= and CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK_EFI= options must be set to the y value. They are enabled by default, but if you disabled them, you may need to mount the /boot partition in rescue mode and edit the configuration file to re-enable them.

10.2. Trouble Beginning the Installation

10.2.1. Problems with Booting into the Graphical Installation

There are some video cards that have trouble booting into the graphical installation program. If the installation program does not run using its default settings, it tries to run in a lower resolution mode. If that still fails, the installation program attempts to run in text mode.

One possible solution is to use only a basic video driver during installation. You can do this either by selecting Install system with basic video driver on the boot menu, or using the xdriver=vesa boot option at the boot prompt. Alternatively, you can force the installer to use a specific screen resolution with the resolution= boot option. This option may be most helpful for laptop users. Another solution to try is the driver= option to specify the driver that should be loaded for your video card. If this works, you should report it as a bug, because the installer failed to detect your video card automatically. Refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options for more information on boot options.

Note

To disable frame buffer support and allow the installation program to run in text mode, try using the nofb boot option. This command may be necessary for accessibility with some screen reading hardware.

10.3.2. Saving Traceback Messages

If anaconda encounters an error during the graphical installation process, it presents you with a crash reporting dialog box:

Figure 10.1. The Crash Reporting Dialog Box

Details

shows you the details of the error:

Figure 10.2. Details of the Crash

Save

saves details of the error locally or remotely:

Exit

exits the installation process.

If you select Save from the main dialog, you can choose from the following options:

Figure 10.3. Select reporter

Logger

saves details of the error as a log file to the local hard drive at a specified location.

Red Hat Customer Support

submits the crash report to Customer Support for assistance.

Report uploader

uploads a compressed version of the crash report to Bugzilla or a URL of your choice.

Before submitting the report, click Preferences to specify a destination or provide authentication details. Select the reporting method you need to configure and click Configure Event.

Figure 10.4. Configure reporter preferences

Logger

Specify a path and a filename for the log file. Check Append if you are adding to an existing log file.

Figure 10.5. Specify local path for log file

Red Hat Customer Support

Enter your Red Hat Network username and password so your report reaches Customer Support and is linked with your account. The URL is prefilled and Verify SSL is checked by default.

Figure 10.6. Enter Red Hat Network authentication details

Report uploader

Specify a URL for uploading a compressed version of the crash report.

Figure 10.7. Enter URL for uploading crash report

Bugzilla

Enter your Bugzilla username and password to lodge a bug with Red Hat's bug-tracking system using the crash report. The URL is prefilled and Verify SSL is checked by default.

Figure 10.8. Enter Bugzilla authentication details

Once you have entered your preferences, click OK to return to the report selection dialog. Select how you would like to report the problem and then click Forward.

Figure 10.9. Confirm report data

You can now customize the report by checking and unchecking the issues that will be included. When finished, click Apply.

Figure 10.10. Report in progress

This screen displays the outcome of the report, including any errors in sending or saving the log. Click Forward to proceed.

Figure 10.11. Reporting done

Reporting is now complete. Click Forward to return to the report selection dialog. You can now make another report, or click Close to exit the reporting utility and then Exit to close the installation process.

10.3.3. Trouble with Partition Tables

The partition table on device hda was unreadable. To create new partitions it must be initialized, causing the loss of ALL DATA on this drive.

you may not have a partition table on that drive or the partition table on the drive may not be recognizable by the partitioning software used in the installation program.

Users who have used programs such as EZ-BIOS have experienced similar problems, causing data to be lost (assuming the data was not backed up before the installation began) that could not be recovered.

No matter what type of installation you are performing, backups of the existing data on your systems should always be made.

10.3.4. Using Remaining Space

You have a swap and a / (root) partition created, and you have selected the root partition to use the remaining space, but it does not fill the hard drive.

If your hard drive is more than 1024 cylinders, you must create a /boot partition if you want the / (root) partition to use all of the remaining space on your hard drive.

10.3.5. The "drive must have a GPT disk label" Error Message

When installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a system with UEFI system and using a disk with an existing partitioning layout as the boot drive (the drive where the boot loader is installed), you may encounter the following error message during custom partitioning:

sda must have a GPT disk label

This happens because the boot drive (in this case, sda) has a Master Boot Record (MBR) label, but UEFI systems require a GUID Partition Table (GPT) label. Therefore you can not reuse an existing partitioning layout on a MBR-labeled drive; the disk must be relabeled, which means you will have to create a new partition layout and lose all existing data.

To work around this problem, go back to the screen where you select your partitioning strategy. Select an option other than custom partitioning (for example Use All Space). Make sure to check the Review and modify partitioning layout check box, and click Next.

On the following screen, modify the automatically created layout so it suits your needs. After you finish and click Next, Anaconda will use your layout and relabel the drive automatically.

When defining a partition's type as swap, do not assign it a mount point. Anaconda automatically assigns the mount point for you.

10.4. Problems After Installation

10.4.1. Trouble With the Graphical GRUB Screen on an x86-based System?

If you are experiencing problems with GRUB, you may need to disable the graphical boot screen. To do this, become the root user and edit the /boot/grub/grub.conf file.

Within the grub.conf file, comment out the line which begins with splashimage by inserting the # character at the beginning of the line.

Press Enter to exit the editing mode.

Once the boot loader screen has returned, type b to boot the system.

Once you reboot, the grub.conf file is reread and any changes you have made take effect.

You may re-enable the graphical boot screen by uncommenting (or adding) the above line back into the grub.conf file.

10.4.2. Booting into a Graphical Environment

If you have installed the X Window System but are not seeing a graphical desktop environment once you log into your system, you can start the X Window System graphical interface using the command startx.

Once you enter this command and press Enter, the graphical desktop environment is displayed.

Note, however, that this is just a one-time fix and does not change the log in process for future log ins.

To set up your system so that you can log in at a graphical login screen, you must edit one file, /etc/inittab, by changing just one number in the runlevel section. When you are finished, reboot the computer. The next time you log in, you are presented with a graphical login prompt.

Open a shell prompt. If you are in your user account, become root by typing the su command.

Now, type the following to edit the file with gedit.

gedit /etc/inittab

The file /etc/inittab opens. Within the first screen, a section of the file which looks like the following appears:

10.4.4. Problems with the X Server Crashing and Non-Root Users

If you are having trouble with the X server crashing when anyone logs in, you may have a full file system (or, a lack of available hard drive space).

To verify that this is the problem you are experiencing, run the following command:

df -h

The df command should help you diagnose which partition is full. For additional information about df and an explanation of the options available (such as the -h option used in this example), refer to the df man page by typing man df at a shell prompt.

A key indicator is 100% full or a percentage above 90% or 95% on a partition. The /home/ and /tmp/ partitions can sometimes fill up quickly with user files. You can make some room on that partition by removing old files. After you free up some disk space, try running X as the user that was unsuccessful before.

10.4.5. Problems When You Try to Log In

If you did not create a user account in the firstboot screens, switch to a console by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F2, log in as root and use the password you assigned to root.

If you cannot remember your root password, boot your system as linux single.

If you are using an x86-based system and GRUB is your installed boot loader, type e for edit when the GRUB boot screen has loaded. You are presented with a list of items in the configuration file for the boot label you have selected.

Choose the line that starts with kernel and type e to edit this boot entry.

At the end of the kernel line, add:

single

Press Enter to exit edit mode.

Once the boot loader screen has returned, type b to boot the system.

Once you have booted into single user mode and have access to the # prompt, you must type passwd root, which allows you to enter a new password for root. At this point you can type shutdown -r now to reboot the system with the new root password.

If you cannot remember your user account password, you must become root. To become root, type su - and enter your root password when prompted. Then, type passwd <username>. This allows you to enter a new password for the specified user account.

If the graphical login screen does not appear, check your hardware for compatibility issues. The Hardware Compatibility List can be found at:

If Apache HTTP Server (httpd) or Sendmail stops responding during startup, make sure the following line is in the /etc/hosts file:

127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost

Part II. IBM Power Systems — Installation and Booting

This part of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide includes information about installation and basic post-installation troubleshooting for IBM Power Systems servers. IBM Power Systems servers include IBM PowerLinux servers and POWER7 and POWER6 Power Systems servers running Linux.

Chapter 11. Planning for Installation on Power Systems Servers

11.1. Upgrade or Install?

While automated in-place upgrades are now supported, the support is currently limited to AMD64 and Intel 64 systems. If you have an existing installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux on an IBM Power Systems server, you must perform a clean install to migrate to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. A clean install is performed by backing up all data from the system, formatting disk partitions, performing an installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 from installation media, and then restoring any user data.

11.2. Hardware Requirements

For installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux on IBM Power Systems servers, Red Hat supports hard drives connected by a standard internal interface, such as SCSI, SATA, or SAS.

Virtualized installation on Power Systems servers is also supported when using Virtual SCSI (vSCSI) adapters in virtual client LPARs.

Note that Red Hat does not support installation to USB drives or SD memory cards.

11.3. Installation Tools

IBM Installation Toolkit is an optional tool that speeds up the installation of Linux and is especially helpful for those unfamiliar with Linux. Use the IBM Installation Toolkit for the following actions: [5]

Install and configure Linux on a non-virtualized Power Systems server.

Install and configure Linux on servers with previously-configured logical partitions (LPARs, also known as virtualized servers).

Install IBM service and productivity tools on a new or previously installed Linux system. The IBM service and productivity tools include dynamic logical partition (DLPAR) utilities.

Migrate a LAMP server (software stack) and application data from a System x to a System p system. A LAMP server is a bundle of open source software. LAMP is an acronym for Linux, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL relational database, and PHP (Perl or Python) scripting language.

PowerLinux service and productivity tools is an optional set of tools that include hardware service diagnostic aids, productivity tools, and installation aids for Linux operating systems on IBM servers based on POWER7, POWER6, POWER5, and POWER4 technology.

11.4. Preparation for IBM Power Systems servers

Ensure that the real-base boot parameter is set to c00000, otherwise you might see errors such as:

DEFAULT CATCH!, exception-handler=fff00300

IBM Power Systems servers offer many options for partitioning, virtual or native devices, and consoles.

If you are using a non-partitioned system, you do not need any pre-installation setup. For systems using the HVSI serial console, hook up your console to the T2 serial port.

If using a partitioned system the steps to create the partition and start the installation are largely the same. You should create the partition at the HMC and assign some CPU and memory resources, as well as SCSI and Ethernet resources, which can be either virtual or native. The HMC create partition wizard steps you through the creation.

If you are using virtual SCSI resources, rather than native SCSI, you must configure a 'link' to the virtual SCSI serving partition, and then configure the virtual SCSI serving partition itself. You create a 'link' between the virtual SCSI client and server slots using the HMC. You can configure a virtual SCSI server on either Virtual I/O Server (VIOS) or IBM i, depending on which model and options you have.

If you are installing using Intel iSCSI Remote Boot, all attached iSCSI storage devices must be disabled. Otherwise, the installation will succeed but the installed system will not boot.

Once you have your system configured, you need to Activate from the HMC or power it on. Depending on what type of install you are doing, you may need to configure SMS to correctly boot the system into the installation program.

11.5. RAID and Other Disk Devices

Important

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 uses mdraid instead of dmraid for installation onto Intel BIOS RAID sets. These sets are detected automatically, and devices with Intel ISW metadata are recognized as mdraid instead of dmraid. Note that the device node names of any such devices under mdraid are different from their device node names under dmraid. Therefore, special precautions are necessary when you migrate systems with Intel BIOS RAID sets.

Local modifications to /etc/fstab, /etc/crypttab or other configuration files which refer to devices by their device node names will not work in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6. Before migrating these files, you must therefore edit them to replace device node paths with device UUIDs instead. You can find the UUIDs of devices with the blkid command.

11.5.1. Hardware RAID

RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, allows a group, or array, of drives to act as a single device. Configure any RAID functions provided by the mainboard of your computer, or attached controller cards, before you begin the installation process. Each active RAID array appears as one drive within Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

On systems with more than one hard drive you may configure Red Hat Enterprise Linux to operate several of the drives as a Linux RAID array without requiring any additional hardware.

11.5.3. FireWire and USB Disks

Some FireWire and USB hard disks may not be recognized by the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation system. If configuration of these disks at installation time is not vital, disconnect them to avoid any confusion.

Note

You can connect and configure external FireWire and USB hard disks after installation. Most such devices are automatically recognized and available for use once connected.

11.6. Do You Have Enough Disk Space?

Nearly every modern-day operating system (OS) uses disk partitions, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux is no exception. When you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you may have to work with disk partitions. If you have not worked with disk partitions before (or need a quick review of the basic concepts), refer to Appendix A, An Introduction to Disk Partitions before proceeding.

The disk space used by Red Hat Enterprise Linux must be separate from the disk space used by other OSes you may have installed on your system.

Before you start the installation process, you must

have enough unpartitioned[6] disk space for the installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or

have one or more partitions that may be deleted, thereby freeing up enough disk space to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

11.7. Choose a Boot Method

Installing from a DVD requires that you have purchased a Red Hat Enterprise Linux product, you have a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 DVD, and you have a DVD drive on a system that supports booting from it. Refer to Chapter 2, Making Media for instructions to make an installation DVD.

Other than booting from an installation DVD, you can also boot the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program from minimal boot media in the form of a bootable CD. After you boot the system with boot CD, you complete the installation from a different installation source, such as a local hard drive or a location on a network. Refer to Section 2.2, “Making Minimal Boot Media” for instructions on making boot CDs.

[6]
Unpartitioned disk space means that available disk space on the hard drives you are installing to has not been divided into sections for data. When you partition a disk, each partition behaves like a separate disk drive.

Chapter 12. Preparing for Installation

12.1. Preparing for a Network Installation

Important

The eHEA module fails to initialize if 16 GB huge pages are assigned to a system or partition and the kernel command line does not contain the huge page parameters. Therefore, when you perform a network installation through an IBM eHEA ethernet adapter, you cannot assign huge pages to the system or partition during the installation. Large pages should work.

Note

Make sure no installation DVD (or any other type of DVD or CD) is in your system's CD or DVD drive if you are performing a network-based installation. Having a DVD or CD in the drive might cause unexpected errors.

Ensure that you have boot media available on CD, DVD, or a USB storage device such as a flash drive.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation medium must be available for either a network installation (via NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS) or installation via local storage. Use the following steps if you are performing an NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS installation.

The NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server to be used for installation over the network must be a separate, network-accessible server. It must provide the complete contents of the installation DVD-ROM.

Note

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. Red Hat recommends that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the yaboot: prompt:

linux mediacheck

Note

The public directory used to access the installation files over FTP, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS is mapped to local storage on the network server. For example, the local directory /var/www/inst/rhel6.9 on the network server can be accessed as http://network.server.com/inst/rhel6.9.

In the following examples, the directory on the installation staging server that will contain the installation files will be specified as /location/of/disk/space. The directory that will be made publicly available via FTP, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS will be specified as /publicly_available_directory. For example, /location/of/disk/space may be a directory you create called /var/isos. /publicly_available_directory might be /var/www/html/rhel6.9, for an HTTP install.

In the following, you will require an ISO image. An ISO image is a file containing an exact copy of the content of a DVD. To create an ISO image from a DVD use the following command:

dd if=/dev/dvd of=/path_to_image/name_of_image.iso

where dvd is your DVD drive device, name_of_image is the name you give to the resulting ISO image file, and path_to_image is the path to the location on your system where the resulting ISO image will be stored.

Extract the files from the ISO image of the installation DVD and place them in a directory that is shared over FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS.

Next, make sure that the directory is shared via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS, and verify client access. Test to see whether the directory is accessible from the server itself, and then from another machine on the same subnet to which you will be installing.

12.1.2. Preparing for an NFS Installation

For NFS installation it is not necessary to extract all the files from the ISO image. It is sufficient to make the ISO image itself, the install.img file, and optionally the product.img file available on the network server via NFS.

Transfer the ISO image to the NFS exported directory. On a Linux system, run:

mv /path_to_image/name_of_image.iso /publicly_available_directory/

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and publicly_available_directory is a directory that is available over NFS or that you intend to make available over NFS.

Use a SHA256 checksum program to verify that the ISO image that you copied is intact. Many SHA256 checksum programs are available for various operating systems. On a Linux system, run:

$ sha256sum name_of_image.iso

where name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file. The SHA256 checksum program displays a string of 64 characters called a hash. Compare this hash to the hash displayed for this particular image on the Downloads page in the Red Hat Customer Portal (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). The two hashes should be identical.

Copy the images/ directory from inside the ISO image to the same directory in which you stored the ISO image file itself. Enter the following commands:

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and mount_point is a mount point on which to mount the image while you copy files from the image. For example:

The ISO image file and an images/ directory are now present, side-by-side, in the same directory.

Verify that the images/ directory contains at least the install.img file, without which installation cannot proceed. Optionally, the images/ directory should contain the product.img file, without which only the packages for a Minimal installation will be available during the package group selection stage (refer to Section 16.19, “Package Group Selection”).

Important

install.img and product.img must be the only files in the images/ directory.

Ensure that an entry for the publicly available directory exists in the /etc/exports file on the network server so that the directory is available via NFS.

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt:

linux mediacheck

12.2. Preparing for a Hard Drive Installation

Note

Hard drive installations only work from ext2, ext3, ext4, or FAT file systems. You cannot use a hard drives formatted for any other file system as an installation source for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

To check the file system of a hard drive partition on a Windows operating system, use the Disk Management tool. To check the file system of a hard drive partition on a Linux operating system, use the fdisk tool.

Important

You cannot use ISO files on partitions controlled by LVM (Logical Volume Management).

Use this option to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on systems without a DVD drive or network connection.

Hard drive installations use the following files:

an ISO image of the installation DVD. An ISO image is a file that contains an exact copy of the content of a DVD.

an install.img file extracted from the ISO image.

optionally, a product.img file extracted from the ISO image.

With these files present on a hard drive, you can choose Hard drive as the installation source when you boot the installation program (refer to Section 15.3, “Installation Method”).

Ensure that you have boot media available on CD, DVD, or a USB storage device such as a flash drive.

To prepare a hard drive as an installation source, follow these steps:

Obtain an ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). Alternatively, if you have the DVD on physical media, you can create an image of it with the following command on a Linux system:

dd if=/dev/dvd of=/path_to_image/name_of_image.iso

where dvd is your DVD drive device, name_of_image is the name you give to the resulting ISO image file, and path_to_image is the path to the location on your system where the resulting ISO image will be stored.

Transfer the ISO image to the hard drive.

The ISO image must be located on a hard drive that is either internal to the computer on which you will install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or on a hard drive that is attached to that computer by USB.

Use a SHA256 checksum program to verify that the ISO image that you copied is intact. Many SHA256 checksum programs are available for various operating systems. On a Linux system, run:

$ sha256sum name_of_image.iso

where name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file. The SHA256 checksum program displays a string of 64 characters called a hash. Compare this hash to the hash displayed for this particular image on the Downloads page in the Red Hat Customer Portal (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). The two hashes should be identical.

Copy the images/ directory from inside the ISO image to the same directory in which you stored the ISO image file itself. Enter the following commands:

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and mount_point is a mount point on which to mount the image while you copy files from the image. For example:

The ISO image file and an images/ directory are now present, side-by-side, in the same directory.

Verify that the images/ directory contains at least the install.img file, without which installation cannot proceed. Optionally, the images/ directory should contain the product.img file, without which only the packages for a Minimal installation will be available during the package group selection stage (refer to Section 9.17, “Package Group Selection”).

Important

install.img and product.img must be the only files in the images/ directory.

Note

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt:

In most cases, Red Hat Enterprise Linux already includes drivers for the devices that make up your system. However, if your system contains hardware that has been released very recently, drivers for this hardware might not yet be included. Sometimes, a driver update that provides support for a new device might be available from Red Hat or your hardware vendor on a driver disc that contains rpm packages. Typically, the driver disc is available for download as an ISO image file.

Often, you do not need the new hardware during the installation process. For example, if you use a DVD to install to a local hard drive, the installation will succeed even if drivers for your network card are not available. In situations like this, complete the installation and add support for the piece of hardware afterward — refer to Section 35.1.1, “Driver Update rpm Packages” for details of adding this support.

In other situations, you might want to add drivers for a device during the installation process to support a particular configuration. For example, you might want to install drivers for a network device or a storage adapter card to give the installer access to the storage devices that your system uses. You can use a driver disc to add this support during installation in one of two ways:

place the ISO image file of the driver disc in a location accessible to the installer:

If Red Hat, your hardware vendor, or a trusted third party told you that you will require a driver update during the installation process, choose a method to supply the update from the methods described in this chapter and test it before beginning the installation. Conversely, do not perform a driver update during installation unless you are certain that your system requires it. Although installing an unnecessary driver update will not cause harm, the presence of a driver on a system for which it was not intended can complicate support.

13.1. Limitations of Driver Updates During Installation

Unfortunately, some situations persist in which you cannot use a driver update to provide drivers during installation:

Devices already in use

You cannot use a driver update to replace drivers that the installation program has already loaded. Instead, you must complete the installation with the drivers that the installation program loaded and update to the new drivers after installation, or, if you need the new drivers for the installation process, consider performing an initial RAM disk driver update — refer to Section 13.2.3, “Preparing an Initial RAM Disk Update”.

Devices with an equivalent device available

Because all devices of the same type are initialized together, you cannot update drivers for a device if the installation program has loaded drivers for a similar device. For example, consider a system that has two different network adapters, one of which has a driver update available. The installation program will initialize both adapters at the same time, and therefore, you will not be able to use this driver update. Again, complete the installation with the drivers loaded by the installation program and update to the new drivers after installation, or use an initial RAM disk driver update.

13.2. Preparing for a Driver Update During Installation

If a driver update is necessary and available for your hardware, Red Hat or a trusted third party such as the hardware vendor will typically provide it in the form of an image file in ISO format. Some methods of performing a driver update require you to make the image file available to the installation program, while others require you to use the image file to make a driver update disk:

13.2.1. Preparing to Use a Driver Update Image File

13.2.1.1. Preparing to use an image file on local storage

To make the ISO image file available on local storage, such as a hard drive or USB flash drive, you must first determine whether you want to install the updates automatically or select them manually.

For manual installations, copy the file onto the storage device. You can rename the file if you find it helpful to do so, but you must not change the filename extension, which must remain .iso. In the following example, the file is named dd.iso:

Note that if you use this method, the storage device will contain only a single file. This differs from driver discs on formats such as CD and DVD, which contain many files. The ISO image file contains all of the files that would normally be on a driver disc.

For automatic installations, you will need to extract the ISO to the root directory of the storage device rather than simply copy it. Copying the ISO is only effective for manual installations. You must also change the file system label of the device to OEMDRV.

13.2.2. Preparing a Driver Disc

You can create a driver update disc on CD or DVD.

13.2.2.1. Creating a driver update disc on CD or DVD

Important

CD/DVD Creator is part of the GNOME desktop. If you use a different Linux desktop, or a different operating system altogether, you will need to use another piece of software to create the CD or DVD. The steps will be generally similar.

Make sure that the software that you choose can create CDs or DVDs from image files. While this is true of most CD and DVD burning software, exceptions exist. Look for a button or menu entry labeled burn from image or similar. If your software lacks this feature, or you do not select it, the resulting disc will hold only the image file itself, instead of the contents of the image file.

Use the desktop file manager to locate the ISO image file of the driver disc, supplied to you by Red Hat or your hardware vendor.

Figure 13.2. A typical .iso file displayed in a file manager window

Right-click on this file and choose Write to disc. You will see a window similar to the following:

Figure 13.3. CD/DVD Creator's Write to Disc dialog

Click the Write button. If a blank disc is not already in the drive, CD/DVD Creator will prompt you to insert one.

After you burn a driver update disc CD or DVD, verify that the disc was created successfully by inserting it into your system and browsing to it using the file manager. You should see a single file named rhdd3 and a directory named rpms:

Figure 13.4. Contents of a typical driver update disc on CD or DVD

If you see only a single file ending in .iso, then you have not created the disc correctly and should try again. Ensure that you choose an option similar to burn from image if you use a Linux desktop other than GNOME or if you use a different operating system.

13.2.3. Preparing an Initial RAM Disk Update

Important

This is an advanced procedure that you should consider only if you cannot perform a driver update with any other method.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program can load updates for itself early in the installation process from a RAM disk — an area of your computer's memory that temporarily behaves as if it were a disk. You can use this same capability to load driver updates. To perform a driver update during installation, your computer must be able to boot from a yaboot installation server, and you must have one available on your network. Refer to Chapter 30, Setting Up an Installation Server for instructions on using a yaboot installation server.

To make the driver update available on your installation server:

Place the driver update image file on your installation server. Usually, you would do this by downloading it to the server from a location on the Internet specified by Red Hat or your hardware vendor. Names of driver update image files end in .iso.

Copy the driver update image file into the /tmp/initrd_update directory.

Rename the driver update image file to dd.img.

At the command line, change into the /tmp/initrd_update directory, type the following command, and press Enter:

find . | cpio --quiet -o -H newc | gzip -9 >/tmp/initrd_update.img

Copy the file /tmp/initrd_update.img into the directory the holds the target that you want to use for installation. This directory is placed under the /var/lib/tftpboot/yaboot/ directory. For example, /var/lib/tftpboot/yaboot/rhel6/ might hold the yaboot installation target for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

Edit the /var/lib/tftpboot/yaboot/yaboot.conf file to include an entry that includes the initial RAM disk update that you just created, in the following format:

In this example, driver_update.iso is a driver update image file that you downloaded from the Internet to a directory on your installation server. The target on your installation server that you want to boot from is located in /var/lib/tftpboot/yaboot/rhel6/

At the command line, change to the directory that holds the file and enter the following commands:

13.3. Performing a Driver Update During Installation

You can perform a driver update during installation in the following ways:

let the installer automatically find a driver update disk.

let the installer prompt you for a driver update.

use a boot option to specify a driver update disk.

13.3.1. Let the Installer Find a Driver Update Disk Automatically

Attach a block device with the filesystem label OEMDRV before starting the installation process. The installer will automatically examine the device and load any driver updates that it detects and will not prompt you during the process. Refer to Section 13.2.1.1, “Preparing to use an image file on local storage” to prepare a storage device for the installer to find.

13.3.2. Let the Installer Prompt You for a Driver Update

Begin the installation normally for whatever method you have chosen. If the installer cannot load drivers for a piece of hardware that is essential for the installation process (for example, if it cannot detect any network or storage controllers), it prompts you to insert a driver update disk:

13.3.3. Use a Boot Option to Specify a Driver Update Disk

This method only works to introduce completely new drivers, not to update existing drivers.

Type linux dd at the boot prompt at the start of the installation process and press Enter. The installer prompts you to confirm that you have a driver disk:

Figure 13.6. The driver disk prompt

Insert the driver update disk that you created on CD, DVD, or USB flash drive and select Yes. The installer examines the storage devices that it can detect. If there is only one possible location that could hold a driver disk (for example, the installer detects the presence of a DVD drive, but no other storage devices) it will automatically load any driver updates that it finds at this location.

13.3.4. Select an Installation Server Target That Includes a Driver Update

Configure the computer to boot from the network interface by selecting Select Boot Options in the SMS menu, then Select Boot/Install Device. Finally, select your network device from the list of available devices.

In the yaboot installation server environment, choose the boot target that you prepared on your installation server. For example, if you labeled this environment rhel6-dd in the /var/lib/tftpboot/yaboot/yaboot.conf file on your installation server, type rhel6-dd at the prompt and press Enter.

13.4. Specifying the Location of a Driver Update Image File or a Driver Update Disk

If the installer detects more than one possible device that could hold a driver update, it prompts you to select the correct device. If you are not sure which option represents the device on which the driver update is stored, try the various options in order until you find the correct one.

Figure 13.7. Selecting a driver disk source

If the device that you choose contains no suitable update media, the installer will prompt you to make another choice.

If you made a driver update disk on CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, the installer now loads the driver update. However, if the device that you selected is a type of device that could contain more than one partition (whether the device currently has more than one partition or not), the installer might prompt you to select the partition that holds the driver update.

Figure 13.8. Selecting a driver disk partition

The installer prompts you to specify which file contains the driver update:

Figure 13.9. Selecting an ISO image

Expect to see these screens if you stored the driver update on an internal hard drive or on a USB storage device. You should not see them if the driver update is on a CD or DVD.

Regardless of whether you are providing a driver update in the form of an image file or with a driver update disk, the installer now copies the appropriate update files into a temporary storage area (located in system RAM and not on disk). The installer might ask whether you would like to use additional driver updates. If you select Yes, you can load additional updates in turn. When you have no further driver updates to load, select No. If you stored the driver update on removable media, you can now safely eject or disconnect the disk or device. The installer no longer requires the driver update, and you can re-use the media for other purposes.

Chapter 14. Booting the Installer

Important

Graphical installation is recommended. Because Power Systems servers primarily use text consoles, anaconda will not automatically start a graphical installation. However, the graphical installer offers more features and customization and is recommended if your system has a graphical display.

To work around this issue, change real-base to c00000. You can obtain the value of real-base from the OpenFirmware prompt with the printenv command and set the value with the setenv command.

To boot an IBM Power Systems server from a DVD, you must specify the install boot device in the System Management Services (SMS) menu.

To enter the System Management Services GUI, press the 1 key during the boot process when you hear the chime sound. This brings up a graphical interface similar to the one described in this section.

On a text console, press 1 when the self test is displaying the banner along with the tested components:

Figure 14.1. SMS console

Once in the SMS menu, select the option for Select Boot Options. In that menu, specify Select Install or Boot a Device. There, select CD/DVD, and then the bus type (in most cases SCSI). If you are uncertain, you can select to view all devices. This scans all available buses for boot devices, including network adapters and hard drives.

Finally, select the device containing the installation DVD. Yaboot is loaded from this device and you are presented with a boot: prompt. To begin a graphical installation, pass the vnc boot option now. Otherwise. press Enter or wait for the timeout to expire for the installation to begin.

Use yaboot with vmlinuz and ramdisk to boot your system over a network. You cannot use the ppc64.img to boot over a network; the file is too large for TFTP.

You can also specify boot options at this prompt; refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options for more information. For example, to use the installer to rescue a previously installed system, type linux rescue and press Enter.

The following example shows the vnc boot option being passed to begin a graphical installation:

boot:
* linux
boot: linux vnc
Please wait, loading kernel...

14.2. Installing from a Different Source

You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from the ISO images stored on hard disk, or from a network using NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS methods. Experienced users frequently use one of these methods because it is often faster to read data from a hard disk or network server than from a DVD.

The following table summarizes the different boot methods and recommended installation methods to use with each:

14.3. Booting from the Network Using a yaboot Installation Server

To boot with a yaboot installation server, you need a properly configured server, and a network interface in your computer that can support an installation server. For information on how to configure an installation server, refer to Chapter 30, Setting Up an Installation Server.

Configure the computer to boot from the network interface by selecting Select Boot Options in the SMS menu, then Select Boot/Install Device. Finally, select your network device from the list of available devices.

Once you properly configure booting from an installation server, the computer can boot the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation system without any other media.

To boot a computer from a yaboot installation server:

Ensure that the network cable is attached. The link indicator light on the network socket should be lit, even if the computer is not switched on.

Switch on the computer.

A menu screen appears. Press the number key that corresponds to the desired option.

If your PC does not boot from the network installation server, ensure that the SMS is configured to boot first from the correct network interface. Refer to your hardware documentation for more information.

Chapter 15. Configuring Language and Installation Source

Before the graphical installation program starts, you need to configure the language and installation source.

15.1. The Text Mode Installation Program User Interface

Important

We recommend that you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux using the graphical interface. If you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a system that lacks a graphical display, consider performing the installation over a VNC connection – see Chapter 31, Installing Through VNC. If anaconda detects that you are installing in text mode on a system where installation over a VNC connection might be possible, anaconda asks you to verify your decision to install in text mode even though your options during installation are limited.

If your system has a graphical display, but graphical installation fails, try booting with the xdriver=vesa option – refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options

Figure 15.2. Installation Program Widgets as seen in Choose a Language

The widgets include:

Window — Windows (usually referred to as dialogs in this manual) appear on your screen throughout the installation process. At times, one window may overlay another; in these cases, you can only interact with the window on top. When you are finished in that window, it disappears, allowing you to continue working in the window underneath.

Checkbox — Checkboxes allow you to select or deselect a feature. The box displays either an asterisk (selected) or a space (unselected). When the cursor is within a checkbox, press Space to select or deselect a feature.

Text Input — Text input lines are regions where you can enter information required by the installation program. When the cursor rests on a text input line, you may enter and/or edit information on that line.

Text Widget — Text widgets are regions of the screen for the display of text. At times, text widgets may also contain other widgets, such as checkboxes. If a text widget contains more information than can be displayed in the space reserved for it, a scroll bar appears; if you position the cursor within the text widget, you can then use the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through all the information available. Your current position is shown on the scroll bar by a # character, which moves up and down the scroll bar as you scroll.

Scroll Bar — Scroll bars appear on the side or bottom of a window to control which part of a list or document is currently in the window's frame. The scroll bar makes it easy to move to any part of a file.

Button Widget — Button widgets are the primary method of interacting with the installation program. You progress through the windows of the installation program by navigating these buttons, using the Tab and Enter keys. Buttons can be selected when they are highlighted.

15.1.1. Using the Keyboard to Navigate

Navigation through the installation dialogs is performed through a simple set of keystrokes. To move the cursor, use the Left, Right, Up, and Down arrow keys. Use Tab, and Shift-Tab to cycle forward or backward through each widget on the screen. Along the bottom, most screens display a summary of available cursor positioning keys.

To "press" a button, position the cursor over the button (using Tab, for example) and press Space or Enter. To select an item from a list of items, move the cursor to the item you wish to select and press Enter. To select an item with a checkbox, move the cursor to the checkbox and press Space to select an item. To deselect, press Space a second time.

Pressing F12 accepts the current values and proceeds to the next dialog; it is equivalent to pressing the OK button.

Warning

Unless a dialog box is waiting for your input, do not press any keys during the installation process (doing so may result in unpredictable behavior).

15.2. Language Selection

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select a language to use during the installation process (refer to Figure 15.3, “Language Selection”). With your selected language highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice.

The language you select here will become the default language for the operating system once it is installed. Selecting the appropriate language also helps target your time zone configuration later in the installation. The installation program tries to define the appropriate time zone based on what you specify on this screen.

15.3. Installation Method

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select an installation method (refer to Figure 15.4, “Installation Method”). With your selected method highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice.

Figure 15.4. Installation Method

15.3.1. Beginning Installation

15.3.1.1. Installing from a DVD

To install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a DVD, place the DVD your DVD drive and boot your system from the DVD. Even if you booted from alternative media, you can still install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from DVD media.

The installation program then probes your system and attempts to identify your DVD drive. It starts by looking for an IDE (also known as an ATAPI) DVD drive.

If your DVD drive is not detected, and it is a SCSI DVD, the installation program prompts you to choose a SCSI driver. Choose the driver that most closely resembles your adapter. You may specify options for the driver if necessary; however, most drivers detect your SCSI adapter automatically.

If the DVD drive is found and the driver loaded, the installer will present you with the option to perform a media check on the DVD. This will take some time, and you may opt to skip over this step. However, if you later encounter problems with the installer, you should reboot and perform the media check before calling for support. From the media check dialog, continue to the next stage of the installation process (refer to Section 16.5, “Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux”).

15.3.2. Installing from a Hard Drive

The Select Partition screen applies only if you are installing from a disk partition (that is, you selected Hard Drive in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog allows you to name the disk partition and directory from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=hd boot option, you already specified a partition.

Figure 15.5. Selecting Partition Dialog for Hard Drive Installation

Select the partition containing the ISO files from the list of available partitions. Internal IDE, SATA, SCSI, and USB drive device names begin with /dev/sd. Each individual drive has its own letter, for example /dev/sda. Each partition on a drive is numbered, for example /dev/sda1.

Also specify the Directory holding images. Enter the full directory path from the drive that contains the ISO image files. The following table shows some examples of how to enter this information:

Table 15.1. Location of ISO images for different partition types

Partition type

Volume

Original path to files

Directory to use

VFAT

D:\

D:\Downloads\RHEL6.9

/Downloads/RHEL6.9

ext2, ext3, ext4

/home

/home/user1/RHEL6.9

/user1/RHEL6.9

If the ISO images are in the root (top-level) directory of a partition, enter a /. If the ISO images are located in a subdirectory of a mounted partition, enter the name of the directory holding the ISO images within that partition. For example, if the partition on which the ISO images is normally mounted as /home/, and the images are in /home/new/, you would enter /new/.

15.3.3. Performing a Network Installation

When you start an installation with the askmethod or repo= options, you can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a network server using FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or NFS protocols. Anaconda uses the same network connection to consult additional software repositories later in the installation process.

If your system has more than one network device, anaconda presents you with a list of all available devices and prompts you to select one to use during installation. If your system only has a single network device, anaconda automatically selects it and does not present this dialog.

Figure 15.6. Networking Device

If you are not sure which device in the list corresponds to which physical socket on the system, select a device in the list then press the Identify button. The Identify NIC dialog appears.

Figure 15.7. Identify NIC

The sockets of most network devices feature an activity light (also called a link light) — an LED that flashes to indicate that data is flowing through the socket. Anaconda can flash the activity light of the network device that you selected in the Networking Device dialog for up to 30 seconds. Enter the number of seconds that you require, then press OK. When anaconda finishes flashing the light, it returns you to the Networking Device dialog.

When you select a network device, anaconda prompts you to choose how to configure TCP/IP:

IPv4 options

Dynamic IP configuration (DHCP)

Anaconda uses DHCP running on the network to supply the network configuration automatically.

Manual configuration

Anaconda prompts you to enter the network configuration manually, including the IP address for this system, the netmask, the gateway address, and the DNS address.

IPv6 options

Automatic

Anaconda uses router advertisement (RA) and DHCP for automatic configuration, based on the network environment. (Equivalent to the Automatic option in NetworkManager)

Automatic, DHCP only

Anaconda does not use RA, but requests information from DHCPv6 directly to create a stateful configuration. (Equivalent to the Automatic, DHCP only option in NetworkManager)

Manual configuration

Anaconda prompts you to enter the network configuration manually, including the IP address for this system, the netmask, the gateway address, and the DNS address.

Anaconda supports the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. However, if you configure an interface to use both IPv4 and IPv6, the IPv4 connection must succeed or the interface will not work, even if the IPv6 connection succeeds.

Figure 15.8. Configure TCP/IP

By default, anaconda uses DHCP to provide network settings automatically for IPv4 and automatic configuration to provide network settings for IPv6. If you choose to configure TCP/IP manually, anaconda prompts you to provide the details in the Manual TCP/IP Configuration dialog:

Figure 15.9. Manual TCP/IP Configuration

The dialog provides fields for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and prefixes, depending on the protocols that you chose to configure manually, together with fields for the network gateway and name server. Enter the details for your network, then press OK.

When the installation process completes, it will transfer these settings to your system.

15.3.4. Installing via NFS

The NFS dialog applies only if you selected NFS Image in the Installation Method dialog. If you used the repo=nfs boot option, you already specified a server and path.

Figure 15.10. NFS Setup Dialog

Enter the domain name or IP address of your NFS server in the NFS server name field. For example, if you are installing from a host named eastcoast in the domain example.com, enter eastcoast.example.com.

Enter the name of the exported directory in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 directory field:

If the NFS server is exporting a mirror of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation tree, enter the directory which contains the root of the installation tree. If everything was specified properly, a message appears indicating that the installation program for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is running.

If the NFS server is exporting the ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD, enter the directory which contains the ISO image.

Specify any NFS mount options that you require in the NFS mount options field. Refer to the man pages for mount and nfs for a comprehensive list of options. If you do not require any mount options, leave the field empty.

15.3.5. Installing via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS

Important

When you provide a URL to an installation source, you must explicitly specify http:// or https:// or ftp:// as the protocol.

The URL dialog applies only if you are installing from a FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server (if you selected URL in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog prompts you for information about the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=ftp or repo=http boot options, you already specified a server and path.

Enter the name or IP address of the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS site from which you are installing, and the name of the directory that contains the /images directory for your architecture. For example:

/mirrors/redhat/rhel-6.9/Server/ppc64/

To install via a secure HTTPS connection, specify https:// as the protocol.

Specify the address of a proxy server, and if necessary, provide a port number, username, and password. If everything was specified properly, a message box appears indicating that files are being retrieved from the server.

If your FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server requires user authentication, specify user and password as part of the URL as follows:

15.4. Verifying Media

The DVD offers an option to verify the integrity of the media. Recording errors sometimes occur while producing DVD media. An error in the data for package chosen in the installation program can cause the installation to abort. To minimize the chances of data errors affecting the installation, verify the media before installing.

If the verification succeeds, the installation process proceeds normally. If the process fails, create a new DVD using the ISO image you downloaded earlier.

Chapter 16. Installing Using Anaconda

This chapter describes an installation using the graphical user interface of anaconda.

16.1. The Text Mode Installation Program User Interface

While text mode installations are not explicitly documented, those using the text mode installation program can easily follow the GUI installation instructions. However, because text mode presents you with a simpler, more streamlined installation process, certain options that are available in graphical mode are not also available in text mode. These differences are noted in the description of the installation process in this guide, and include:

16.2. The Graphical Installation Program User Interface

If you have used a graphical user interface (GUI) before, you are already familiar with this process; use your mouse to navigate the screens, click buttons, or enter text fields.

You can also navigate through the installation using the keyboard. The Tab key allows you to move around the screen, the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through lists, + and - keys expand and collapse lists, while Space and Enter selects or removes from selection a highlighted item. You can also use the Alt+X key command combination as a way of clicking on buttons or making other screen selections, where X is replaced with any underlined letter appearing within that screen.

If you would like to use a graphical installation with a system that does not have that capability, such as a partitioned system, you can use VNC or display forwarding. Both the VNC and display forwarding options require an active network during the installation and the use of boot time arguments. For more information on available boot time options, refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options

Note

If you do not wish to use the GUI installation program, the text mode installation program is also available. To start the text mode installation program, use the following command at the yaboot: prompt:

It is highly recommended that installs be performed using the GUI installation program. The GUI installation program offers the full functionality of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program, including LVM configuration which is not available during a text mode installation.

Users who must use the text mode installation program can follow the GUI installation instructions and obtain all needed information.

16.3. A Note About Linux Virtual Consoles

This information only applies to users of non-partitioned System p systems using a video card as their console. Users of partitioned System p systems should skip to Section 16.4, “Using the HMC vterm”.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program offers more than the dialog boxes of the installation process. Several kinds of diagnostic messages are available to you, as well as a way to enter commands from a shell prompt. The installation program displays these messages on five virtual consoles, among which you can switch using a single keystroke combination.

A virtual console is a shell prompt in a non-graphical environment, accessed from the physical machine, not remotely. Multiple virtual consoles can be accessed simultaneously.

These virtual consoles can be helpful if you encounter a problem while installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Messages displayed on the installation or system consoles can help pinpoint a problem. Refer to Table 16.1, “Console, Keystrokes, and Contents” for a listing of the virtual consoles, keystrokes used to switch to them, and their contents.

Generally, there is no reason to leave the default console (virtual console #6) for graphical installations unless you are attempting to diagnose installation problems.

Table 16.1. Console, Keystrokes, and Contents

console

keystrokes

contents

1

ctrl+alt+f1

installation dialog

2

ctrl+alt+f2

shell prompt

3

ctrl+alt+f3

install log (messages from installation program)

4

ctrl+alt+f4

system-related messages

5

ctrl+alt+f5

other messages

6

ctrl+alt+f6

x graphical display

16.4. Using the HMC vterm

The HMC vterm is the console for any partitioned IBM System p. This is opened by right clicking on the partition on the HMC, and then selecting Open Terminal Window. Only a single vterm can be connected to the console at one time and there is no console access for partitioned system besides the vterm. This often is referred to as a 'virtual console', but is different from the virtual consoles in Section 16.3, “A Note About Linux Virtual Consoles” .

16.5. Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

The Welcome screen does not prompt you for any input.

Figure 16.1. The Welcome screen

Click on the Next button to continue.

16.6. Language Selection

Using your mouse, select the language (for example, U.S. English) you would prefer to use for the installation and as the system default (refer to the figure below).

Once you have made your selection, click Next to continue.

Figure 16.2. Language Configuration

16.7. Keyboard Configuration

Using your mouse, select the correct layout type (for example, U.S. English) for the keyboard you would prefer to use for the installation and as the system default (refer to Figure 16.3, “Keyboard Configuration”).

Once you have made your selection, click Next to continue.

Figure 16.3. Keyboard Configuration

Note

To change your keyboard layout type after you have completed the installation, use the Keyboard Configuration Tool.

Type the system-config-keyboard command in a shell prompt to launch the Keyboard Configuration Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to continue.

16.8. Storage Devices

You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a large variety of storage devices. This screen allows you to select either basic or specialized storage devices.

Use the Specialized Storage Devices option to configure Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) and FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) connections.

If you select Basic Storage Devices, anaconda automatically detects the local storage attached to the system and does not require further input from you. Proceed to Section 16.9, “Setting the Hostname”.

Note

Monitoring of LVM and software RAID devices by the mdeventd daemon is not performed during installation.

16.8.1. The Storage Devices Selection Screen

The storage devices selection screen displays all storage devices to which anaconda has access.

Figure 16.5. Select storage devices — Basic devices

Figure 16.6. Select storage devices — Multipath Devices

Figure 16.7. Select storage devices — Other SAN Devices

Devices are grouped under the following tabs:

Basic Devices

Basic storage devices directly connected to the local system, such as hard disk drives and solid-state drives.

Firmware RAID

Storage devices attached to a firmware RAID controller.

Multipath Devices

Storage devices accessible through more than one path, such as through multiple SCSI controllers or Fiber Channel ports on the same system.

Important

The installer only detects multipath storage devices with serial numbers that are 16 or 32 characters in length.

The storage devices selection screen also contains a Search tab that allows you to filter storage devices either by their World Wide Identifier (WWID) or by the port, target, or logical unit number (LUN) at which they are accessed.

Figure 16.8. The Storage Devices Search Tab

The tab contains a drop-down menu to select searching by port, target, WWID, or LUN (with corresponding text boxes for these values). Searching by WWID or LUN requires additional values in the corresponding text box.

Each tab presents a list of devices detected by anaconda, with information about the device to help you to identify it. A small drop-down menu marked with an icon is located to the right of the column headings. This menu allows you to select the types of data presented on each device. For example, the menu on the Multipath Devices tab allows you to specify any of WWID, Capacity, Vendor, Interconnect, and Paths to include among the details presented for each device. Reducing or expanding the amount of information presented might help you to identify particular devices.

Figure 16.9. Selecting Columns

Each device is presented on a separate row, with a checkbox to its left. Click the checkbox to make a device available during the installation process, or click the radio button at the left of the column headings to select or deselect all the devices listed in a particular screen. Later in the installation process, you can choose to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux onto any of the devices selected here, and can choose to automatically mount any of the other devices selected here as part of the installed system.

Note that the devices that you select here are not automatically erased by the installation process. Selecting a device on this screen does not, in itself, place data stored on the device at risk. Note also that any devices that you do not select here to form part of the installed system can be added to the system after installation by modifying the /etc/fstab file.

Important

Any storage devices that you do not select on this screen are hidden from anaconda entirely. To chain load the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader from a different boot loader, select all the devices presented in this screen.

16.8.1.1.1. Select and configure a network interface

The Advanced Storage Options screen lists the active network interfaces anaconda has found on your system. If none are found, anaconda must activate an interface through which to connect to the storage devices.

Click Configure Network on the Advanced Storage Options screen to configure and activate one using NetworkManager to use during installation. Alternatively, anaconda will prompt you with the Select network interface dialog after you click Add drive.

Figure 16.11. Select network interface

Select an interface from the drop-down menu.

Click OK.

Anaconda then starts NetworkManager to allow you to configure the interface.

16.8.1.1.2. Configure iSCSI parameters

To add an iSCSI target, select Add iSCSI target and click Add drive.

To use iSCSI storage devices for the installation, anaconda must be able to discover them as iSCSI targets and be able to create an iSCSI session to access them. Each of these steps might require a username and password for CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol) authentication. Additionally, you can configure an iSCSI target to authenticate the iSCSI initiator on the system to which the target is attached (reverse CHAP), both for discovery and for the session. Used together, CHAP and reverse CHAP are called mutual CHAP or two-way CHAP. Mutual CHAP provides the greatest level of security for iSCSI connections, particularly if the username and password are different for CHAP authentication and reverse CHAP authentication.

Repeat the iSCSI discovery and iSCSI login steps as many times as necessary to add all required iSCSI storage. However, you cannot change the name of the iSCSI initiator after you attempt discovery for the first time. To change the iSCSI initiator name, you must restart the installation.

Procedure 16.1. iSCSI discovery

Use the iSCSI Discovery Details dialog to provide anaconda with the information that it needs to discover the iSCSI target.

Figure 16.13. The iSCSI Discovery Details dialog

Enter the IP address of the iSCSI target in the Target IP Address field.

Provide a name in the iSCSI Initiator Name field for the iSCSI initiator in iSCSI qualified name (IQN) format.

A valid IQN contains:

the string iqn. (note the period)

a date code that specifies the year and month in which your organization's Internet domain or subdomain name was registered, represented as four digits for the year, a dash, and two digits for the month, followed by a period. For example, represent September 2010 as 2010-09.

your organization's Internet domain or subdomain name, presented in reverse order with the top-level domain first. For example, represent the subdomain storage.example.com as com.example.storage

a colon followed by a string that uniquely identifies this particular iSCSI initiator within your domain or subdomain. For example, :diskarrays-sn-a8675309.

A complete IQN therefore resembles: iqn.2010-09.storage.example.com:diskarrays-sn-a8675309, and anaconda pre-populates the iSCSI Initiator Name field with a name in this format to help you with the structure.

Use the drop-down menu to specify the type of authentication to use for iSCSI discovery:

Figure 16.14. iSCSI discovery authentication

no credentials

CHAP pair

CHAP pair and a reverse pair

If you selected CHAP pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password fields.

Figure 16.15. CHAP pair

If you selected CHAP pair and a reverse pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password field and the username and password for the iSCSI initiator in the Reverse CHAP Username and Reverse CHAP Password fields.

Figure 16.16. CHAP pair and a reverse pair

Click Start Discovery. Anaconda attempts to discover an iSCSI target based on the information that you provided. If discovery succeeds, the iSCSI Discovered Nodes dialog presents you with a list of all the iSCSI nodes discovered on the target.

Each node is presented with a checkbox beside it. Click the checkboxes to select the nodes to use for installation.

Figure 16.17. The iSCSI Discovered Nodes dialog

Click Login to initiate an iSCSI session.

Procedure 16.2. Starting an iSCSI session

Use the iSCSI Nodes Login dialog to provide anaconda with the information that it needs to log into the nodes on the iSCSI target and start an iSCSI session.

Figure 16.18. The iSCSI Nodes Login dialog

Use the drop-down menu to specify the type of authentication to use for the iSCSI session:

Figure 16.19. iSCSI session authentication

no credentials

CHAP pair

CHAP pair and a reverse pair

Use the credentials from the discovery step

If your environment uses the same type of authentication and same username and password for iSCSI discovery and for the iSCSI session, select Use the credentials from the discovery step to reuse these credentials.

If you selected CHAP pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password fields.

Figure 16.20. CHAP pair

If you selected CHAP pair and a reverse pair as the authentication type, provide the username and password for the iSCSI target in the CHAP Username and CHAP Password fields and the username and password for the iSCSI initiator in the Reverse CHAP Username and Reverse CHAP Password fields.

Figure 16.21. CHAP pair and a reverse pair

Click Login. Anaconda attempts to log into the nodes on the iSCSI target based on the information that you provided. The iSCSI Login Results dialog presents you with the results.

Figure 16.22. The iSCSI Login Results dialog

Click OK to continue.

16.8.1.1.3. Configure FCoE Parameters

To configure an FCoE SAN, select Add FCoE SAN and click Add Drive.

In the next dialog box that appears after you click Add drive, select the network interface that is connected to your FCoE switch and click Add FCoE Disk(s).

Figure 16.23. Configure FCoE Parameters

Data Center Bridging (DCB) is a set of enhancements to the Ethernet protocols designed to increase the efficiency of Ethernet connections in storage networks and clusters. Enable or disable the installer's awareness of DCB with the checkbox in this dialog. This should only be set for networking interfaces that require a host-based DCBX client. Configurations on interfaces that implement a hardware DCBX client should leave this checkbox empty.

Auto VLAN indicates whether VLAN discovery should be performed. If this box is checked, then the FIP VLAN discovery protocol will run on the Ethernet interface once the link configuration has been validated. If they are not already configured, network interfaces for any discovered FCoE VLANs will be automatically created and FCoE instances will be created on the VLAN interfaces.

16.9. Setting the Hostname

Setup prompts you to supply a host name for this computer, either as a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) in the format hostname.domainname or as a short host name in the format hostname. Many networks have a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service that automatically supplies connected systems with a domain name. To allow the DHCP service to assign the domain name to this machine, specify the short host name only.

Note

You may give your system any name provided that the full hostname is unique. The hostname may include letters, numbers and hyphens.

Figure 16.24. Setting the hostname

If your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system is connected directly to the Internet, you must pay attention to additional considerations to avoid service interruptions or risk action by your upstream service provider. A full discussion of these issues is beyond the scope of this document.

Note

The installation program does not configure modems. Configure these devices after installation with the Network utility. The settings for your modem are specific to your particular Internet Service Provider (ISP).

16.9.1. Editing Network Connections

Important

When a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 installation boots for the first time, it activates any network interfaces that you configured during the installation process. However, the installer does not prompt you to configure network interfaces on some common installation paths, for example, when you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a DVD to a local hard drive.

When you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux from a local installation source to a local storage device, be sure to configure at least one network interface manually if you require network access when the system boots for the first time. You will need to select the Connect automatically option manually when editing the connection.

Note

To change your network configuration after you have completed the installation, use the Network Administration Tool.

Type the system-config-network command in a shell prompt to launch the Network Administration Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to continue.

The Network Administration Tool is now deprecated and will be replaced by NetworkManager during the lifetime of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

To configure a network connection manually, click the button Configure Network. The Network Connections dialog appears that allows you to configure wired, wireless, mobile broadband, InfiniBand, VPN, DSL, VLAN, and bonded connections for the system using the NetworkManager tool. A full description of all configurations possible with NetworkManager is beyond the scope of this guide. This section only details the most typical scenario of how to configure wired connections during installation. Configuration of other types of network is broadly similar, although the specific parameters that you must configure are necessarily different.

Figure 16.25. Network Connections

To add a new connection, click Add and select a connection type from the menu. To modify an existing connection, select it in the list and click Edit. In either case, a dialog box appears with a set of tabs that is appropriate to the particular connection type, as described below. To remove a connection, select it in the list and click Delete.

When you have finished editing network settings, click Apply to save the new configuration. If you reconfigured a device that was already active during installation, you must restart the device to use the new configuration — refer to Section 9.7.1.6, “Restart a network device”.

16.9.1.1. Options common to all types of connection

Certain configuration options are common to all connection types.

Specify a name for the connection in the Connection name name field.

Select Connect automatically to start the connection automatically when the system boots.

When NetworkManager runs on an installed system, the Available to all users option controls whether a network configuration is available system-wide or not. During installation, ensure that Available to all users remains selected for any network interface that you configure.

16.9.1.2. The Wired tab

Use the Wired tab to specify or change the media access control (MAC) address for the network adapter, and either set the maximum transmission unit (MTU, in bytes) that can pass through the interface.

Figure 16.26. The Wired tab

16.9.1.3. The 802.1x Security tab

Use the 802.1x Security tab to configure 802.1X port-based network access control (PNAC). Select Use 802.1X security for this connection to enable access control, then specify details of your network. The configuration options include:

Authentication

Choose one of the following methods of authentication:

TLS for Transport Layer Security

Tunneled TLS for Tunneled Transport Layer Security, otherwise known as TTLS, or EAP-TTLS

The password for the private key specified in the Private key field. Select Show password to make the password visible as you type it.

Figure 16.27. The 802.1x Security tab

16.9.1.4. The IPv4 Settings tab

Use the IPv4 Settings tab tab to configure the IPv4 parameters for the previously selected network connection.

Use the Method drop-down menu to specify which settings the system should attempt to obtain from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service running on the network. Choose from the following options:

Automatic (DHCP)

IPv4 parameters are configured by the DHCP service on the network.

Automatic (DHCP) addresses only

The IPv4 address, netmask, and gateway address are configured by the DHCP service on the network, but DNS servers and search domains must be configured manually.

Manual

IPv4 parameters are configured manually for a static configuration.

Link-Local Only

A link-local address in the 169.254/16 range is assigned to the interface.

Shared to other computers

The system is configured to provide network access to other computers. The interface is assigned an address in the 10.42.x.1/24 range, a DHCP server and DNS server are started, and the interface is connected to the default network connection on the system with network address translation (NAT).

Disabled

IPv4 is disabled for this connection.

If you selected a method that requires you to supply manual parameters, enter details of the IP address for this interface, the netmask, and the gateway in the Addresses field. Use the Add and Delete buttons to add or remove addresses. Enter a comma-separated list of DNS servers in the DNS servers field, and a comma-separated list of domains in the Search domains field for any domains that you want to include in name server lookups.

Optionally, enter a name for this network connection in the DHCP client ID field. This name must be unique on the subnet. When you assign a meaningful DHCP client ID to a connection, it is easy to identify this connection when troubleshooting network problems.

Deselect the Require IPv4 addressing for this connection to complete check box to allow the system to make this connection on an IPv6-enabled network if IPv4 configuration fails but IPv6 configuration succeeds.

Figure 16.28. The IPv4 Settings tab

16.9.1.4.1. Editing IPv4 routes

Red Hat Enterprise Linux configures a number of routes automatically based on the IP addresses of a device. To edit additional routes, click the Routes button. The Editing IPv4 routes dialog appears.

Figure 16.29. The Editing IPv4 Routes dialog

Click Add to add the IP address, netmask, gateway address, and metric for a new static route.

Select Ignore automatically obtained routes to make the interface use only the routes specified for it here.

Select Use this connection only for resources on its network to restrict connections only to the local network.

16.9.1.5. The IPv6 Settings tab

Use the IPv6 Settings tab tab to configure the IPv6 parameters for the previously selected network connection.

Use the Method drop-down menu to specify which settings the system should attempt to obtain from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service running on the network. Choose from the following options:

NetworkManager uses RA to create an automatic, stateless configuration, but DNS servers and search domains are ignored and must be configured manually.

Automatic, DHCP only

NetworkManager does not use RA, but requests information from DHCPv6 directly to create a stateful configuration.

Manual

IPv6 parameters are configured manually for a static configuration.

Link-Local Only

A link-local address with the fe80::/10 prefix is assigned to the interface.

If you selected a method that requires you to supply manual parameters, enter details of the IP address for this interface, the netmask, and the gateway in the Addresses field. Use the Add and Delete buttons to add or remove addresses. Enter a comma-separated list of DNS servers in the DNS servers field, and a comma-separated list of domains in the Search domains field for any domains that you want to include in name server lookups.

Optionally, enter a name for this network connection in the DHCP client ID field. This name must be unique on the subnet. When you assign a meaningful DHCP client ID to a connection, it is easy to identify this connection when troubleshooting network problems.

Deselect the Require IPv6 addressing for this connection to complete check box to allow the system to make this connection on an IPv4-enabled network if IPv6 configuration fails but IPv4 configuration succeeds.

Figure 16.30. The IPv6 Settings tab

16.9.1.5.1. Editing IPv6 routes

Red Hat Enterprise Linux configures a number of routes automatically based on the IP addresses of a device. To edit additional routes, click the Routes button. The Editing IPv6 routes dialog appears.

Figure 16.31. The Editing IPv6 Routes dialog

Click Add to add the IP address, netmask, gateway address, and metric for a new static route.

Select Use this connection only for resources on its network to restrict connections only to the local network.

16.9.1.6. Restart a network device

If you reconfigured a network that was already in use during installation, you must disconnect and reconnect the device in anaconda for the changes to take effect. Anaconda uses interface configuration (ifcfg) files to communicate with NetworkManager. A device becomes disconnected when its ifcfg file is removed, and becomes reconnected when its ifcfg file is restored, as long as ONBOOT=yes is set. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 Deployment Guide available from https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/6/html/Deployment_Guide/index.html for more information about interface configuration files.

Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 to switch to virtual terminal tty2.

Move the interface configuration file to a temporary location:

mv /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-device_name /tmp

where device_name is the device that you just reconfigured. For example, ifcfg-eth0 is the ifcfg file for eth0.

The device is now disconnected in anaconda.

Open the interface configuration file in the vi editor:

vi /tmp/ifcfg-device_name

Verify that the interface configuration file contains the line ONBOOT=yes. If the file does not already contain the line, add it now and save the file.

Exit the vi editor.

Move the interface configuration file back to the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ directory:

mv /tmp/ifcfg-device_name /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/

The device is now reconnected in anaconda.

Press Ctrl+Alt+F6 to return to anaconda.

16.10. Time Zone Configuration

Set your time zone by selecting the city closest to your computer's physical location. Click on the map to zoom in to a particular geographical region of the world.

From here there are two ways for you to select your time zone:

Using your mouse, click on the interactive map to select a specific city (represented by a yellow dot). A red X appears indicating your selection.

You can also scroll through the list at the bottom of the screen to select your time zone. Using your mouse, click on a location to highlight your selection.

Figure 16.32. Configuring the Time Zone

If Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the only operating system on your computer, select System clock uses UTC. The system clock is a piece of hardware on your computer system. Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses the timezone setting to determine the offset between the local time and UTC on the system clock. This behavior is standard for systems that use UNIX, Linux, and similar operating systems.

Click Next to proceed.

Note

To change your time zone configuration after you have completed the installation, use the Time and Date Properties Tool.

Type the system-config-date command in a shell prompt to launch the Time and Date Properties Tool. If you are not root, it prompts you for the root password to continue.

16.11. Set the Root Password

Setting up a root account and password is one of the most important steps during your installation. The root account is used to install packages, upgrade RPMs, and perform most system maintenance. Logging in as root gives you complete control over your system.

Note

The root user (also known as the superuser) has complete access to the entire system; for this reason, logging in as the root user is best done only to perform system maintenance or administration.

Figure 16.33. Root Password

Use the root account only for system administration. Create a non-root account for your general use and use the su command to change to root only when you need to perform tasks that require superuser authorization. These basic rules minimize the chances of a typo or an incorrect command doing damage to your system.

Note

To become root, type su - at the shell prompt in a terminal window and then press Enter. Then, enter the root password and press Enter.

The installation program prompts you to set a root password[7] for your system. . You cannot proceed to the next stage of the installation process without entering a root password.

The root password must be at least six characters long; the password you type is not echoed to the screen. You must enter the password twice; if the two passwords do not match, the installation program asks you to enter them again.

You should make the root password something you can remember, but not something that is easy for someone else to guess. Your name, your phone number, qwerty, password, root, 123456, and anteater are all examples of bad passwords. Good passwords mix numerals with upper and lower case letters and do not contain dictionary words: Aard387vark or 420BMttNT, for example. Remember that the password is case-sensitive. If you write down your password, keep it in a secure place. However, it is recommended that you do not write down this or any password you create.

Warning

Do not use one of the example passwords offered in this manual. Using one of these passwords could be considered a security risk.

To change your root password after you have completed the installation, run the passwd command as root. If you forget the root password, see Resolving Problems in System Recovery Modes in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Deployment Guide for instructions on how to set a new one.

16.12. Assign Storage Devices

If you selected more than one storage device on the storage devices selection screen (refer to Section 16.8, “Storage Devices”), anaconda asks you to select which of these devices should be available for installation of the operating system, and which should only be attached to the file system for data storage. If you selected only one storage device, anaconda does not present you with this screen.

During installation, the devices that you identify here as being for data storage only are mounted as part of the file system, but are not partitioned or formatted.

Figure 16.34. Assign storage devices

The screen is split into two panes. The left pane contains a list of devices to be used for data storage only. The right pane contains a list of devices that are to be available for installation of the operating system.

Each list contains information about the devices to help you to identify them. A small drop-down menu marked with an icon is located to the right of the column headings. This menu allows you to select the types of data presented on each device. Reducing or expanding the amount of information presented might help you to identify particular devices.

Move a device from one list to the other by clicking on the device, then clicking either the button labeled with a left-pointing arrow to move it to the list of data storage devices or the button labeled with a right-pointing arrow to move it to the list of devices available for installation of the operating system.

The list of devices available as installation targets also includes a radio button beside each device. Use this radio button to specify the device that you want to use as the boot device for the system.

Important

If any storage device contains a boot loader that will chain load the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader, include that storage device among the Install Target Devices. Storage devices that you identify as Install Target Devices remain visible to anaconda during boot loader configuration.

Storage devices that you identify as Install Target Devices on this screen are not automatically erased by the installation process unless you selected the Use All Space option on the partitioning screen (refer to Section 16.15, “Disk Partitioning Setup”).

When you have finished identifying devices to be used for installation, click Next to continue.

16.13. Initializing the Hard Disk

If no readable partition tables are found on existing hard disks, the installation program asks to initialize the hard disk. This operation makes any existing data on the hard disk unreadable. If your system has a brand new hard disk with no operating system installed, or you have removed all partitions on the hard disk, click Re-initialize drive.

The installation program presents you with a separate dialog for each disk on which it cannot read a valid partition table. Click the Ignore all button or Re-initialize all button to apply the same answer to all devices.

Figure 16.35. Warning screen – initializing hard drive

Certain RAID systems or other nonstandard configurations may be unreadable to the installation program and the prompt to initialize the hard disk may appear. The installation program responds to the physical disk structures it is able to detect.

To enable automatic initializing of hard disks for which it turns out to be necessary, use the kickstart command zerombr (refer to Chapter 32, Kickstart Installations). This command is required when performing an unattended installation on a system with previously initialized disks.

Warning

If you have a nonstandard disk configuration that can be detached during installation and detected and configured afterward, power off the system, detach it, and restart the installation.

In-place upgrades between major versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux can be done, with certain limitations, using the Red Hat Upgrade Tool and Preupgrade Assistant tools. See Chapter 37, Upgrading Your Current System for more information.

The installation system automatically detects any existing installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The upgrade process updates the existing system software with new versions, but does not remove any data from users' home directories. The existing partition structure on your hard drives does not change. Your system configuration changes only if a package upgrade demands it. Most package upgrades do not change system configuration, but rather install an additional configuration file for you to examine later.

Note that the installation medium that you are using might not contain all the software packages that you need to upgrade your computer.

16.14.1. The Upgrade Dialog

If your system contains a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation, a dialog appears asking whether you want to upgrade that installation. To perform an upgrade of an existing system, choose the appropriate installation from the drop-down list and select Next.

Figure 16.36. The Upgrade Dialog

Note

Software you have installed manually on your existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux system may behave differently after an upgrade. You may need to manually reinstall or recompile this software after an upgrade to ensure it performs correctly on the updated system.

16.14.2. Upgrading Using the Installer

Note

In general, Red Hat recommends that you keep user data on a separate /home partition and perform a fresh installation. For more information on partitions and how to set them up, refer to Section 9.13, “Disk Partitioning Setup”.

If you choose to upgrade your system using the installation program, any software not provided by Red Hat Enterprise Linux that conflicts with Red Hat Enterprise Linux software is overwritten. Before you begin an upgrade this way, make a list of your system's current packages for later reference:

Make a complete backup of any important data before performing an upgrade. Important data may include the contents of your entire /home directory as well as content from services such as an Apache, FTP, or SQL server, or a source code management system. Although upgrades are not destructive, if you perform one improperly there is a small possibility of data loss.

Warning

Note that the above examples store backup materials in a /home directory. If your /home directory is not a separate partition, you should not follow these examples verbatim! Store your backups on another device such as CD or DVD discs or an external hard disk.

16.15. Disk Partitioning Setup

Warning

It is always a good idea to back up any data that you have on your systems. For example, if you are upgrading or creating a dual-boot system, you should back up any data you wish to keep on your storage devices. Mistakes do happen and can result in the loss of all your data.

Important

If you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in text mode, you can only use the default partitioning schemes described in this section. You cannot add or remove partitions or file systems beyond those that the installer automatically adds or removes. If you require a customized layout at installation time, you should perform a graphical installation over a VNC connection or a kickstart installation.

Furthermore, advanced options such as LVM, encrypted filesystems, and resizable filesystems are available only in graphical mode and kickstart.

Important

If you have a RAID card, be aware that some BIOS types do not support booting from the RAID card. In cases such as these, the /boot/ partition must be created on a partition outside of the RAID array, such as on a separate hard drive. An internal hard drive is necessary to use for partition creation with problematic RAID cards.

A /boot/ partition is also necessary for software RAID setups.

If you have chosen to automatically partition your system, you should select Review and manually edit your /boot/ partition.

Partitioning allows you to divide your hard drive into isolated sections, where each section behaves as its own hard drive. Partitioning is particularly useful if you run multiple operating systems. If you are not sure how you want your system to be partitioned, read Appendix A, An Introduction to Disk Partitions for more information.

Figure 16.37. Disk Partitioning Setup

On this screen you can choose to create the default partition layout in one of four different ways, or choose to partition storage devices manually to create a custom layout.

The first four options allow you to perform an automated installation without having to partition your storage devices yourself. If you do not feel comfortable with partitioning your system, choose one of these options and let the installation program partition the storage devices for you. Depending on the option that you choose, you can still control what data (if any) is removed from the system.

Your options are:

Use All Space

Select this option to remove all partitions on your hard drives (this includes partitions created by other operating systems such as Windows VFAT or NTFS partitions).

Warning

If you select this option, all data on the selected hard drives is removed by the installation program. Do not select this option if you have information that you want to keep on the hard drives where you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

In particular, do not select this option when you configure a system to chain load the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader from another boot loader.

Replace Existing Linux System(s)

Select this option to remove only partitions created by a previous Linux installation. This does not remove other partitions you may have on your hard drives (such as VFAT or FAT32 partitions).

Shrink Current System

Select this option to resize your current data and partitions manually and install a default Red Hat Enterprise Linux layout in the space that is freed.

Warning

If you shrink partitions on which other operating systems are installed, you might not be able to use those operating systems. Although this partitioning option does not destroy data, operating systems typically require some free space in their partitions. Before you resize a partition that holds an operating system that you might want to use again, find out how much space you need to leave free.

Use Free Space

Select this option to retain your current data and partitions and install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in the unused space available on the storage drives. Ensure that there is sufficient space available on the storage drives before you select this option — refer to Section 11.6, “Do You Have Enough Disk Space?”.

Choose your preferred partitioning method by clicking the radio button to the left of its description in the dialog box.

Select Encrypt system to encrypt all partitions except the /boot partition. Refer to Appendix C, Disk Encryption for information on encryption.

To review and make any necessary changes to the partitions created by automatic partitioning, select the Review option. After selecting Review and clicking Next to move forward, the partitions created for you by anaconda appear. You can make modifications to these partitions if they do not meet your needs.

Important

To configure the Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot loader to chain load from a different boot loader, you must specify the boot drive manually. If you chose any of the automatic partitioning options, you must now select the Review and modify partitioning layout option before you click Next or you cannot specify the correct boot drive.

Important

When you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 on a system with multipath and non-multipath storage devices, the automatic partitioning layout in the installer might create volume groups that contain a mix of multipath and non-multipath devices. This defeats the purpose of multipath storage.

We advise that you select only multipath or only non-multipath devices on the disk selection screen that appears after selecting automatic partitioning. Alternatively, select custom partitioning.

Click Next once you have made your selections to proceed.

16.16. Choosing a Disk Encryption Passphrase

If you selected the Encrypt System option, the installer prompts you for a passphrase with which to encrypt the partitions on the system.

16.17. Creating a Custom Layout or Modifying the Default Layout

If you chose one of the automatic partitioning options and selected Review, you can either accept the current partition settings (click Next), or modify the setup manually in the partitioning screen.

If you chose to create a custom layout, you must tell the installation program where to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This is done by defining mount points for one or more disk partitions in which Red Hat Enterprise Linux is installed.

Anaconda can handle the partitioning requirements for a typical installation.

Figure 16.39. Partitioning on IBM System p

The partitioning screen contains two panes. The top pane contains a graphical representation of the hard drive, logical volume, or RAID device selected in the lower pane.

Above the graphical representation of the device, you can review the name of the drive (such as /dev/sda or LogVol00), its size (in MB), and its model as detected by the installation program.

Using your mouse, click once to highlight a particular field in the graphical display. Double-click to edit an existing partition or to create a partition out of existing free space.

The lower pane contains a list of all drives, logical volumes, and RAID devices to be used during installation, as specified earlier in the installation process — refer to Section 16.12, “ Assign Storage Devices ”

Devices are grouped by type. Click on the small triangles to the left of each device type to view or hide devices of that type.

Anaconda displays several details for each device listed:

Device

the name of the device, logical volume, or partition

Size (MB)

the size of the device, logical volume, or partition (in MB)

Mount Point/RAID/Volume

the mount point (location within a file system) on which a partition is to be mounted, or the name of the RAID or logical volume group of which it is a part

Type

the type of partition. If the partition is a standard partition, this field displays the type of file system on the partition (for example, ext4). Otherwise, it indicates that the partition is a physical volume (LVM), or part of a software RAID

Format

A check mark in this column indicates that the partition will be formatted during installation.

Beneath the lower pane are four buttons: Create, Edit, Delete, and Reset.

Select a device or partition by clicking on it in either the graphical representation in the upper pane of in the list in the lower pane, then click one of the four buttons to carry out the following actions:

Create

create a new partition, logical volume, or software RAID

Edit

change an existing partition, logical volume, or software RAID. Note that you can only shrink partitions with the Resize button, not enlarge partitions.

Delete

remove a partition, logical volume, or software RAID

Reset

undo all changes made in this screen

16.17.1. Create Storage

The Create Storage dialog allows you to create new storage partitions, logical volumes, and software RAIDs. Anaconda presents options as available or unavailable depending on the storage already present on the system or configured to transfer to the system.

RAID Partition — create a partition in unallocated space to form part of a software RAID device. To form a software RAID device, two or more RAID partitions must be available on the system.

RAID Device — combine two or more RAID partitions into a software RAID device. When you choose this option, you can specify the type of RAID device to create (the RAID level). This option is only available when two or more RAID partitions are available on the system.

Mount Point: Enter the partition's mount point. For example, if this partition should be the root partition, enter /; enter /boot for the /boot partition, and so on. You can also use the pull-down menu to choose the correct mount point for your partition. For a swap partition the mount point should not be set — setting the filesystem type to swap is sufficient.

File System Type: Using the pull-down menu, select the appropriate file system type for this partition. For more information on file system types, refer to Section 16.17.2.1, “File System Types”.

Allowable Drives: This field contains a list of the hard disks installed on your system. If a hard disk's box is highlighted, then a desired partition can be created on that hard disk. If the box is not checked, then the partition will never be created on that hard disk. By using different checkbox settings, you can have anaconda place partitions where you need them, or let anaconda decide where partitions should go.

Size (MB): Enter the size (in megabytes) of the partition. Note, this field starts with 200 MB; unless changed, only a 200 MB partition will be created.

Additional Size Options: Choose whether to keep this partition at a fixed size, to allow it to "grow" (fill up the available hard drive space) to a certain point, or to allow it to grow to fill any remaining hard drive space available.

If you choose Fill all space up to (MB), you must give size constraints in the field to the right of this option. This allows you to keep a certain amount of space free on your hard drive for future use.

Encrypt: Choose whether to encrypt the partition so that the data stored on it cannot be accessed without a passphrase, even if the storage device is connected to another system. Refer to Appendix C, Disk Encryption for information on encryption of storage devices. If you select this option, the installer prompts you to provide a passphrase before it writes the partition to the disk.

OK: Select OK once you are satisfied with the settings and wish to create the partition.

Cancel: Select Cancel if you do not want to create the partition.

16.17.2.1. File System Types

Red Hat Enterprise Linux allows you to create different partition types and file systems. The following is a brief description of the different partition types and file systems available, and how they can be used.

Partition types

standard partition — A standard partition can contain a file system or swap space, or it can provide a container for software RAID or an LVM physical volume.

swap — Swap partitions are used to support virtual memory. In other words, data is written to a swap partition when there is not enough RAM to store the data your system is processing. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Deployment Guide for additional information.

software RAID — Creating two or more software RAID partitions allows you to create a RAID device. For more information regarding RAID, refer to the chapter RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Deployment Guide.

physical volume (LVM) — Creating one or more physical volume (LVM) partitions allows you to create an LVM logical volume. LVM can improve performance when using physical disks. For more information regarding LVM, refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Deployment Guide.

File systems

ext4 — The ext4 file system is based on the ext3 file system and features a number of improvements. These include support for larger file systems and larger files, faster and more efficient allocation of disk space, no limit on the number of subdirectories within a directory, faster file system checking, and more robust journaling. A maximum file system size of 16TB is supported for ext4. The ext4 file system is selected by default and is highly recommended.

Note

The user_xattr and acl mount options are automatically set on ext4 systems by the installation system. These options enable extended attributes and access control lists, respectively. More information about mount options can be found in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Storage Administration Guide.

ext3 — The ext3 file system is based on the ext2 file system and has one main advantage — journaling. Using a journaling file system reduces time spent recovering a file system after a crash as there is no need to fsck[8] the file system. A maximum file system size of 16TB is supported for ext3.

xfs — XFS is a highly scalable, high-performance file system that supports filesystems up to 16 exabytes (approximately 16 million terabytes), files up to 8 exabytes (approximately 8 million terabytes) and directory structures containing tens of millions of entries. XFS supports metadata journaling, which facilitates quicker crash recovery. The XFS file system can also be defragmented and resized while mounted and active.

Note

The maximum size of an XFS partition the installer can create is 100 TB.

vfat — The VFAT file system is a Linux file system that is compatible with Microsoft Windows long filenames on the FAT file system.

Btrfs — Btrfs is under development as a file system capable of addressing and managing more files, larger files, and larger volumes than the ext2, ext3, and ext4 file systems. Btrfs is designed to make the file system tolerant of errors, and to facilitate the detection and repair of errors when they occur. It uses checksums to ensure the validity of data and metadata, and maintains snapshots of the file system that can be used for backup or repair.

Because Btrfs is still experimental and under development, the installation program does not offer it by default. If you want to create a Btrfs partition on a drive, you must commence the installation process with the boot option btrfs. Refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options for instructions.

Warning

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 includes Btrfs as a technology preview to allow you to experiment with this file system. You should not choose Btrfs for partitions that will contain valuable data or that are essential for the operation of important systems.

16.17.3. Create Software RAID

Redundant arrays of independent disks (RAIDs) are constructed from multiple storage devices that are arranged to provide increased performance and — in some configurations — greater fault tolerance. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Storage Administration Guide for a description of different kinds of RAIDs.

To make a RAID device, you must first create software RAID partitions. Once you have created two or more software RAID partitions, select RAID to join the software RAID partitions into a RAID device.

RAID Partition

Choose this option to configure a partition for software RAID. This option is the only choice available if your disk contains no software RAID partitions. This is the same dialog that appears when you add a standard partition — refer to Section 16.17.2, “Adding Partitions” for a description of the available options. Note, however, that File System Type must be set to software RAID

Figure 16.42. Create a software RAID partition

RAID Device

Choose this option to construct a RAID device from two or more existing software RAID partitions. This option is available if two or more software RAID partitions have been configured.

Figure 16.43. Create a RAID device

Select the file system type as for a standard partition.

Anaconda automatically suggests a name for the RAID device, but you can manually select names from md0 to md15.

Click the checkboxes beside individual storage devices to include or remove them from this RAID.

The RAID Level corresponds to a particular type of RAID. Choose from the following options:

RAID 0 — distributes data across multiple storage devices. Level 0 RAIDs offer increased performance over standard partitions, and can be used to pool the storage of multiple devices into one large virtual device. Note that Level 0 RAIDS offer no redundancy and that the failure of one device in the array destroys the entire array. RAID 0 requires at least two RAID partitions.

RAID 1 — mirrors the data on one storage device onto one or more other storage devices. Additional devices in the array provide increasing levels of redundancy. RAID 1 requires at least two RAID partitions.

RAID 4 — distributes data across multiple storage devices, but uses one device in the array to store parity information that safeguards the array in case any device within the array fails. Because all parity information is stored on the one device, access to this device creates a bottleneck in the performance of the array. RAID 4 requires at least three RAID partitions.

RAID 5 — distributes data and parity information across multiple storage devices. Level 5 RAIDs therefore offer the performance advantages of distributing data across multiple devices, but do not share the performance bottleneck of level 4 RAIDs because the parity information is also distributed through the array. RAID 5 requires at least three RAID partitions.

RAID 6 — level 6 RAIDs are similar to level 5 RAIDs, but instead of storing only one set of parity data, they store two sets. RAID 6 requires at least four RAID partitions.

RAID 10 — level 10 RAIDs are nested RAIDs or hybrid RAIDs. Level 10 RAIDs are constructed by distributing data over mirrored sets of storage devices. For example, a level 10 RAID constructed from four RAID partitions consists of two pairs of partitions in which one partition mirrors the other. Data is then distributed across both pairs of storage devices, as in a level 0 RAID. RAID 10 requires at least four RAID partitions.

16.17.4. Create LVM Logical Volume

Important

LVM initial set up is not available during text-mode installation. If you need to create an LVM configuration from scratch, press Alt+F2 to use a different virtual console, and run the lvm command. To return to the text-mode installation, press Alt+F1.

Logical Volume Management (LVM) presents a simple logical view of underlying physical storage space, such as a hard drives or LUNs. Partitions on physical storage are represented as physical volumes that can be grouped together into volume groups. Each volume group can be divided into multiple logical volumes, each of which is analogous to a standard disk partition. Therefore, LVM logical volumes function as partitions that can span multiple physical disks.

Choose this option to configure a partition or device as an LVM physical volume. This option is the only choice available if your storage does not already contain LVM Volume Groups. This is the same dialog that appears when you add a standard partition — refer to Section 16.17.2, “Adding Partitions” for a description of the available options. Note, however, that File System Type must be set to physical volume (LVM)

Figure 16.44. Create an LVM Physical Volume

Make LVM Volume Group

Choose this option to create LVM volume groups from the available LVM physical volumes, or to add existing logical volumes to a volume group.

Figure 16.45. Make LVM Volume Group

To assign one or more physical volumes to a volume group, first name the volume group. Then select the physical volumes to be used in the volume group. Finally, configure logical volumes on any volume groups using the Add, Edit and Delete options.

You may not remove a physical volume from a volume group if doing so would leave insufficient space for that group's logical volumes. Take for example a volume group made up of two 5 GB LVM physical volume partitions, which contains an 8 GB logical volume. The installer would not allow you to remove either of the component physical volumes, since that would leave only 5 GB in the group for an 8 GB logical volume. If you reduce the total size of any logical volumes appropriately, you may then remove a physical volume from the volume group. In the example, reducing the size of the logical volume to 4 GB would allow you to remove one of the 5 GB physical volumes.

Make Logical Volume

Choose this option to create an LVM logical volume. Select a mount point, file system type, and size (in MB) just as if it were a standard disk partition. You can also choose a name for the logical volume and specify the volume group to which it will belong.

Figure 16.46. Make Logical Volume

16.17.5. Recommended Partitioning Scheme

Unless you have a reason for doing otherwise, we recommend that you create the following partitions:

A swap partition (at least 256 MB) — Swap partitions support virtual memory: data is written to a swap partition when there is not enough RAM to store the data your system is processing.

In years past, the recommended amount of swap space increased linearly with the amount of RAM in the system. Modern systems often include hundreds of gigabytes of RAM, however. As a consequence, recommended swap space is considered a function of system memory workload, not system memory.

The following table provides the recommended size of a swap partition depending on the amount of RAM in your system and whether you want sufficient memory for your system to hibernate. The recommended swap partition size is established automatically during installation. To allow for hibernation, however, you will need to edit the swap space in the custom partitioning stage.

Important

Recommendations in the table below are especially important on systems with low memory (1 GB and less). Failure to allocate sufficient swap space on these systems may cause issues such as instability or even render the installed system unbootable.

Table 16.2. Recommended System Swap Space

Amount of RAM in the system

Recommended swap space

Recommended swap space if allowing for hibernation

⩽ 2GB

2 times the amount of RAM

3 times the amount of RAM

> 2GB – 8GB

Equal to the amount of RAM

2 times the amount of RAM

> 8GB – 64GB

At least 4 GB

1.5 times the amount of RAM

> 64GB

At least 4 GB

Hibernation not recommended

At the border between each range listed above (for example, a system with 2GB, 8GB, or 64GB of system RAM), discretion can be exercised with regard to chosen swap space and hibernation support. If your system resources allow for it, increasing the swap space may lead to better performance.

Swap space size recommendations issued for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0, 6.1, and 6.2 differed from the current recommendations, which were first issued with the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3 in June 2012 and did not account for hibernation space. Automatic installations of these earlier versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 still generate a swap space in line with these superseded recommendations. However, manually selecting a swap space size in line with the newer recommendations issued for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3 is advisable for optimal performance.

A PReP boot partition on the first partition of the hard drive — the PReP boot partition contains the Yaboot boot loader (which allows other Power Systems servers to boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux). Unless you plan to boot from a network source, you must have a PReP boot partition to boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

For IBM System p users: The PReP boot partition should be between 4-8 MB, not to exceed 10 MB.

A /boot/ partition (250 MB) — the partition mounted on /boot/ contains the operating system kernel (which allows your system to boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux), along with files used during the bootstrap process. Due to the limitations of most PC firmware, creating a small partition to hold these is a good idea. For most users, a 250 MB boot partition is sufficient.

Warning

If you have a RAID card, be aware that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 does not support setting up hardware RAID on an IPR card. You can boot the standalone diagnostics CD prior to installation to create a RAID array and then install to that RAID array.

Important

The /boot and / (root) partition in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 can only use the ext2, ext3, and ext4 (recommended) file systems. You cannot use any other file system for this partition, such as Btrfs, XFS, or VFAT. Other partitions, such as /home, can use any supported file system, including Btrfs and XFS (if available). See the following article on the Red Hat Customer Portal for additional information: https://access.redhat.com/solutions/667273.

A root partition (3.0 GB - 5.0 GB) — this is where "/" (the root directory) is located. In this setup, all files (except those stored in /boot) are on the root partition.

A 3.0 GB partition allows you to install a minimal installation, while a 5.0 GB root partition lets you perform a full installation, choosing all package groups.

Important

The /boot and / (root) partition in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 can only use the ext2, ext3, and ext4 (recommended) file systems. You cannot use any other file system for this partition, such as Btrfs, XFS, or VFAT. Other partitions, such as /home, can use any supported file system, including Btrfs and XFS (if available). See the following article on the Red Hat Customer Portal for additional information: https://access.redhat.com/solutions/667273.

Important

The / (or root) partition is the top of the directory structure. The /root directory (sometimes pronounced "slash-root") is the home directory of the user account for system administration.

Warning

The PackageKit update software downloads updated packages to /var/cache/yum/ by default. If you partition the system manually, and create a separate /var/ partition, be sure to create the partition large enough (3.0 GB or more) to download package updates.

16.18. Write Changes to Disk

The installer prompts you to confirm the partitioning options that you selected. Click Write changes to disk to allow the installer to partition your hard drive and install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Figure 16.47. Writing storage configuration to disk

If you are certain that you want to proceed, click Write changes to disk.

Warning

Up to this point in the installation process, the installer has made no lasting changes to your computer. When you click Write changes to disk, the installer will allocate space on your hard drive and start to transfer Red Hat Enterprise Linux into this space. Depending on the partitioning option that you chose, this process might include erasing data that already exists on your computer.

To revise any of the choices that you made up to this point, click Go back. To cancel installation completely, switch off your computer.

After you click Write changes to disk, allow the installation process to complete. If the process is interrupted (for example, by you switching off or resetting the computer, or by a power outage) you will probably not be able to use your computer until you restart and complete the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation process, or install a different operating system.

16.19. Package Group Selection

Now that you have made most of the choices for your installation, you are ready to confirm the default package selection or customize packages for your system.

The Package Installation Defaults screen appears and details the default package set for your Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation. This screen varies depending on the version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux you are installing.

Important

If you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux in text mode, you cannot make package selections. The installer automatically selects packages only from the base and core groups. These packages are sufficient to ensure that the system is operational at the end of the installation process, ready to install updates and new packages. To change the package selection, complete the installation, then use the Add/Remove Software application to make desired changes.

Figure 16.48. Package Group Selection

By default, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation process loads a selection of software that is suitable for a system deployed as a basic server. Note that this installation does not include a graphical environment. To include a selection of software suitable for other roles, click the radio button that corresponds to one of the following options:

Basic Server

This option provides a basic installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux for use on a server.

Database Server

This option provides the MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.

Web server

This option provides the Apache web server.

Enterprise Identity Server Base

This option provides OpenLDAP and Enterprise Identity Management (IPA) to create an identity and authentication server.

Virtual Host

This option provides the KVM and Virtual Machine Manager tools to create a host for virtual machines.

Desktop

This option provides the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, graphical tools such as the GIMP, and multimedia applications.

This option provides only the packages essential to run Red Hat Enterprise Linux. A minimal installation provides the basis for a single-purpose server or desktop appliance and maximizes performance and security on such an installation.

Warning

Minimal installation currently does not configure the firewall (iptables/ip6tables) by default because the authconfig and system-config-firewall-base packages are missing from the selection. To work around this issue, you can use a Kickstart file to add these packages to your selection. See the Red Hat Customer Portal for details about the workaround, and Chapter 32, Kickstart Installations for information about Kickstart files.

If you do not use the workaround, the installation will complete successfully, but no firewall will be configured, presenting a security risk.

To customize your package set further, select the Customize now option on the screen. Clicking Next takes you to the Package Group Selection screen.

16.19.1. Installing from Additional Repositories

You can define additional repositories to increase the software available to your system during installation. A repository is a network location that stores software packages along with metadata that describes them. Many of the software packages used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux require other software to be installed. The installer uses the metadata to ensure that these requirements are met for every piece of software you select for installation.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux repository is automatically selected for you. It contains the complete collection of software that was released as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9, with the various pieces of software in their versions that were current at the time of release.

Figure 16.49. Adding a software repository

To include software from extra repositories, select Add additional software repositories and provide the location of the repository.

To edit an existing software repository location, select the repository in the list and then select Modify repository.

If you change the repository information during a non-network installation, such as from a Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD, the installer prompts you for network configuration information.

Figure 16.50. Select network interface

Select an interface from the drop-down menu.

Click OK.

Anaconda then starts NetworkManager to allow you to configure the interface.

If you select Add additional software repositories, the Edit repository dialog appears. Provide a Repository name and the Repository URL for its location.

Once you have located a mirror, to determine the URL to use, find the directory on the mirror that contains a directory named repodata.

Once you provide information for an additional repository, the installer reads the package metadata over the network. Software that is specially marked is then included in the package group selection system.

Warning

If you choose Back from the package selection screen, any extra repository data you may have entered is lost. This allows you to effectively cancel extra repositories. Currently there is no way to cancel only a single repository once entered.

16.19.2. Customizing the Software Selection

Note

Your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system automatically supports the language that you selected at the start of the installation process. To include support for additional languages, select the package group for those languages from the Languages category.

Note

Users who want support for developing or running 64-bit applications are encouraged to select the Compatibility Arch Support and Compatibility Arch Development Support packages to install architecture specific support for their systems.

Select Customize now to specify the software packages for your final system in more detail. This option causes the installation process to display an additional customization screen when you select Next.

Figure 16.52. Package Group Details

Red Hat Enterprise Linux divides the included software into package groups. For ease of use, the package selection screen displays these groups as categories.

You can select package groups, which group components together according to function (for example, X Window System and Editors), individual packages, or a combination of the two.

To view the package groups for a category, select the category from the list on the left. The list on the right displays the package groups for the currently selected category.

To specify a package group for installation, select the check box next to the group. The box at the bottom of the screen displays the details of the package group that is currently highlighted. None of the packages from a group will be installed unless the check box for that group is selected.

If you select a package group, Red Hat Enterprise Linux automatically installs the base and mandatory packages for that group. To change which optional packages within a selected group will be installed, select the Optional Packages button under the description of the group. Then use the check box next to an individual package name to change its selection.

In the package selection list on the right, you can use the context menu as a shortcut to select or de-select base and mandatory packages or all optional packages.

Figure 16.53. Package Selection List Context Menu

After you choose the desired packages, select Next to proceed. The installer checks your selection, and automatically adds any extra packages required to use the software you selected. When you have finished selecting packages, click Close to save your optional package selections and return to the main package selection screen.

The packages that you select are not permanent. After you boot your system, use the Add/Remove Software tool to either install new software or remove installed packages. To run this tool, from the main menu, select System → Administration → Add/Remove Software. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux software management system downloads the latest packages from network servers, rather than using those on the installation discs.

16.19.2.1. Core Network Services

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux installations include the following network services:

centralized logging through syslog

email through SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

network file sharing through NFS (Network File System)

remote access through SSH (Secure SHell)

resource advertising through mDNS (multicast DNS)

The default installation also provides:

network file transfer through HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

printing through CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System)

remote desktop access through VNC (Virtual Network Computing)

Some automated processes on your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system use the email service to send reports and messages to the system administrator. By default, the email, logging, and printing services do not accept connections from other systems. Red Hat Enterprise Linux installs the NFS sharing, HTTP, and VNC components without enabling those services.

You may configure your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system after installation to offer email, file sharing, logging, printing and remote desktop access services. The SSH service is enabled by default. You may use NFS to access files on other systems without enabling the NFS sharing service.

16.20. Installing Packages

At this point there is nothing left for you to do until all the packages have been installed. How quickly this happens depends on the number of packages you have selected and your computer's speed.

Depending on the available resources, you might see the following progress bar while the installer resolves dependencies of the packages you selected for installation:

Figure 16.54. Starting installation

During installation of the selected packages and their dependencies, you see the following progress bar:

16.21. Installation Complete

The installation program prompts you to prepare your system for reboot. Remember to remove any installation media if it is not ejected automatically upon reboot.

After your computer's normal power-up sequence has completed, Red Hat Enterprise Linux loads and starts. By default, the start process is hidden behind a graphical screen that displays a progress bar. Eventually, a login: prompt or a GUI login screen (if you installed the X Window System and chose to start X automatically) appears.

The first time you start your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system in run level 5 (the graphical run level), the FirstBoot tool appears, which guides you through the Red Hat Enterprise Linux configuration. Using this tool, you can set your system time and date, install software, register your machine with Red Hat Network, and more. FirstBoot lets you configure your environment at the beginning, so that you can get started using your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system quickly.

[7]
A root password is the administrative password for your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system. You should only log in as root when needed for system maintenance. The root account does not operate within the restrictions placed on normal user accounts, so changes made as root can have implications for your entire system.

[8]
The fsck application is used to check the file system for metadata consistency and optionally repair one or more Linux file systems.

Chapter 17. Troubleshooting Installation on an IBM Power Systems server

This section discusses some common installation problems and their solutions.

For debugging purposes, anaconda logs installation actions into files in the /tmp directory. These files include:

/tmp/anaconda.log

general anaconda messages

/tmp/program.log

all external programs run by anaconda

/tmp/storage.log

extensive storage module information

/tmp/yum.log

yum package installation messages

/tmp/syslog

hardware-related system messages

If the installation fails, the messages from these files are consolidated into /tmp/anaconda-tb-identifier, where identifier is a random string.

You may also find the IBM Online Alert Section for System p useful. It is located at:

All of the files above reside in the installer's ramdisk and are thus volatile. To make a permanent copy, copy those files to another system on the network using scp on the installation image (not the other way round).

17.1. You Are Unable to Boot Red Hat Enterprise Linux

17.1.1. Is Your System Displaying Signal 11 Errors?

A signal 11 error, commonly known as a segmentation fault, means that the program accessed a memory location that was not assigned to it. A signal 11 error may be due to a bug in one of the software programs that is installed, or faulty hardware.

If you receive a fatal signal 11 error during your installation, it is probably due to a hardware error in memory on your system's bus. Like other operating systems, Red Hat Enterprise Linux places its own demands on your system's hardware. Some of this hardware may not be able to meet those demands, even if they work properly under another OS.

Ensure that you have the latest installation updates and images. Review the online errata to see if newer versions are available. If the latest images still fail, it may be due to a problem with your hardware. Commonly, these errors are in your memory or CPU-cache. A possible solution for this error is turning off the CPU-cache in the BIOS, if your system supports this. You could also try to swap your memory around in the motherboard slots to check if the problem is either slot or memory related.

Another option is to perform a media check on your installation DVD. Anaconda, the installation program, has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. Red Hat recommends that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: or yaboot: prompt:

17.2. Trouble Beginning the Installation

17.2.1. Problems with Booting into the Graphical Installation

There are some video cards that have trouble booting into the graphical installation program. If the installation program does not run using its default settings, it tries to run in a lower resolution mode. If that still fails, the installation program attempts to run in text mode.

One possible solution is to try using the resolution= boot option. Refer to Chapter 28, Boot Options for more information.

Note

To disable frame buffer support and allow the installation program to run in text mode, try using the nofb boot option. This command may be necessary for accessibility with some screen reading hardware.

17.3.2. Saving Traceback Messages

If anaconda encounters an error during the graphical installation process, it presents you with a crash reporting dialog box:

Figure 17.1. The Crash Reporting Dialog Box

Details

shows you the details of the error:

Figure 17.2. Details of the Crash

Save

saves details of the error locally or remotely:

Exit

exits the installation process.

If you select Save from the main dialog, you can choose from the following options:

Figure 17.3. Select reporter

Logger

saves details of the error as a log file to the local hard drive at a specified location.

Red Hat Customer Support

submits the crash report to Customer Support for assistance.

Report uploader

uploads a compressed version of the crash report to Bugzilla or a URL of your choice.

Before submitting the report, click Preferences to specify a destination or provide authentication details. Select the reporting method you need to configure and click Configure Event.

Figure 17.4. Configure reporter preferences

Logger

Specify a path and a filename for the log file. Check Append if you are adding to an existing log file.

Figure 17.5. Specify local path for log file

Red Hat Customer Support

Enter your Red Hat Network username and password so your report reaches Customer Support and is linked with your account. The URL is prefilled and Verify SSL is checked by default.

Figure 17.6. Enter Red Hat Network authentication details

Report uploader

Specify a URL for uploading a compressed version of the crash report.

Figure 17.7. Enter URL for uploading crash report

Bugzilla

Enter your Bugzilla username and password to lodge a bug with Red Hat's bug-tracking system using the crash report. The URL is prefilled and Verify SSL is checked by default.

Figure 17.8. Enter Bugzilla authentication details

Once you have entered your preferences, click OK to return to the report selection dialog. Select how you would like to report the problem and then click Forward.

Figure 17.9. Confirm report data

You can now customize the report by checking and unchecking the issues that will be included. When finished, click Apply.

Figure 17.10. Report in progress

This screen displays the outcome of the report, including any errors in sending or saving the log. Click Forward to proceed.

Figure 17.11. Reporting done

Reporting is now complete. Click Forward to return to the report selection dialog. You can now make another report, or click Close to exit the reporting utility and then Exit to close the installation process.

Important

This information does not apply to users of headless IBM System p systems.

When defining a partition's type as swap, do not assign it a mount point. Anaconda automatically assigns the mount point for you.

17.4. Problems After Installation

17.4.1. Unable to IPL from *NWSSTG

If you are experiencing difficulties when trying to IPL from *NWSSTG, you may not have created a PReP Boot partition set as active.

17.4.2. Booting into a Graphical Environment

If you have installed the X Window System but are not seeing a graphical desktop environment once you log into your system, you can start the X Window System graphical interface using the command startx.

Once you enter this command and press Enter, the graphical desktop environment is displayed.

Note, however, that this is just a one-time fix and does not change the log in process for future log ins.

To set up your system so that you can log in at a graphical login screen, you must edit one file, /etc/inittab, by changing just one number in the runlevel section. When you are finished, reboot the computer. The next time you log in, you are presented with a graphical login prompt.

Open a shell prompt. If you are in your user account, become root by typing the su command.

Now, type the following to edit the file with gedit.

gedit /etc/inittab

The file /etc/inittab opens. Within the first screen, a section of the file which looks like the following appears:

17.4.4. Problems with the X Server Crashing and Non-Root Users

If you are having trouble with the X server crashing when anyone logs in, you may have a full file system (or, a lack of available hard drive space).

To verify that this is the problem you are experiencing, run the following command:

df -h

The df command should help you diagnose which partition is full. For additional information about df and an explanation of the options available (such as the -h option used in this example), refer to the df man page by typing man df at a shell prompt.

A key indicator is 100% full or a percentage above 90% or 95% on a partition. The /home/ and /tmp/ partitions can sometimes fill up quickly with user files. You can make some room on that partition by removing old files. After you free up some disk space, try running X as the user that was unsuccessful before.

17.4.5. Problems When You Try to Log In

If you did not create a user account in the firstboot screens, switch to a console by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F2, log in as root and use the password you assigned to root.

If you cannot remember your root password, boot your system as linux single.

Once you have booted into single user mode and have access to the # prompt, you must type passwd root, which allows you to enter a new password for root. At this point you can type shutdown -r now to reboot the system with the new root password.

If you cannot remember your user account password, you must become root. To become root, type su - and enter your root password when prompted. Then, type passwd <username>. This allows you to enter a new password for the specified user account.

If the graphical login screen does not appear, check your hardware for compatibility issues. The Hardware Compatibility List can be found at:

Chapter 18. Planning for Installation on System z

18.1. Pre-Installation

The installation process assumes that you are familiar with the IBM System z and can set up logical partitions (LPARs) and z/VM guest virtual machines. For additional information on System z, refer to http://www.ibm.com/systems/z.

Before you install Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you must decide on the following:

Decide whether you want to run the operating system on an LPAR or as a z/VM guest operating system.

Decide if you need swap space and if so how much. Although it is possible (and recommended) to assign enough memory to z/VM guest virtual machine and let z/VM do the necessary swapping, there are cases where the amount of required RAM is hard to predict. Such instances should be examined on a case-by-case basis. Refer to Section 23.15.5, “Recommended Partitioning Scheme”.

Decide on a network configuration. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 for IBM System z supports the following network devices:

Real and virtual Open Systems Adapter (OSA)

Real and virtual HiperSockets

LAN channel station (LCS) for real OSA

You require the following hardware:

Disk space. Calculate how much disk space you need and allocate sufficient disk space on DASDs[9] or SCSI[10] disks. You require at least 2 GB for a server installation, and 5 GB if you want to install all packages. You also require disk space for any application data. After the installation, more DASD or SCSI disk partitions may be added or deleted as necessary.

The disk space used by the newly installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux system (the Linux instance) must be separate from the disk space used by other operating systems you may have installed on your system.

RAM. Acquire 1 GB (recommended) for the Linux instance. With some tuning, an instance might run with as little as 512 MB RAM.

18.2. Overview of the System z Installation Procedure

You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on System z interactively or in unattended mode. Installation on System z differs from installation on other architectures in that it is typically performed over a network and not from a local DVD. The installation can be summarized as follows:

Booting (IPL) the installer

Connect with the mainframe, then perform an initial program load (IPL), or boot, from the medium containing the installation program.

Installation Phase 1

Set up an initial network device. This network device is then used to connect to the installation system via SSH or VNC. This gets you a full-screen mode terminal or graphical display to continue installation as on other architectures.

Installation Phase 2

Specify which language to use, and how and where the installation program and the software packages to be installed from the repository on the Red Hat installation medium can be found.

Installation Phase 3

Use anaconda (the main part of the Red Hat installation program) to perform the rest of the installation.

Figure 18.1. The Installation Process

18.2.1. Booting (IPL) the Installer

After establishing a connection with the mainframe, you need to perform an initial program load (IPL), or boot, from the medium containing the installation program. This document describes the most common methods of installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 on System z. In general, you can use any method to boot the Linux installation system, which consists of a kernel (kernel.img) and initial ramdisk (initrd.img) with at least the parameters in generic.prm. The Linux installation system is also called the installer in this book.

The control point from where you can start the IPL process depends on the environment where your Linux is to run. If your Linux is to run as a z/VM guest operating system, the control point is the control program (CP) of the hosting z/VM. If your Linux is to run in LPAR mode, the control point is the mainframe's Support Element (SE) or an attached IBM System z Hardware Management Console (HMC).

You can use the following boot media only if Linux is to run as a guest operating system under z/VM:

If you use DASD and FCP-attached SCSI devices (except SCSI DVDs) as boot media, you must have a configured zipl boot loader. For more information, see the Chapter on zipl in Linux on System z Device Drivers, Features, and Commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

18.2.2. Installation Phase 1

After the kernel boot, you will configure one network device. This network device is needed to complete the installation.

18.2.3. Installation Phase 2

In installation phase 2, you need to specify what language to use and where phase 3 of the installation program and the software packages to be installed from the repository on the Red Hat installation medium can be found. On System z, the installation sources are usually transferred from the DVD to a network server. Phase 3 of the installation program and the repository can be accessed in one of the following ways:

Over the network using one of the FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or NFS protocols. A separate network server (FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, or NFS), which holds all the required installation sources, must be set up in advance. For details on how to set up a network server, refer to Section 19.1, “Preparing for a Network Installation”.

If you have a slow network connection or prefer a text-based installation, do not use X11 forwarding when logging in over the network and do not set the display= variable in the parameter file (refer to Section 26.4, “VNC and X11 Parameters” for details). In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 the text-based installation has been reduced to minimize user interaction. Features like installation on FCP-attached SCSI devices, changing partition layout, or package selection are only available with the graphical user interface installation. Use the graphical installation whenever possible. (Refer to Chapter 23, Installation Phase 3: Installing Using Anaconda.)

18.3. Graphical User Interface with X11 or VNC

To run anaconda with the graphical user interface, use a workstation that has either an X Window System (X11) server or VNC client installed.

You can use X11 forwarding with an SSH client or X11 directly. If the installer on your workstation fails because the X11 server does not support required X11 extensions you might have to upgrade the X11 server or use VNC.

18.3.1. Installation using X11 forwarding

You can connect a workstation to the Linux installation system on the mainframe and display the graphical installation program using SSH with X11 forwarding.

You require an SSH client that allows X11 forwarding. To open the connection, first start the X server on the workstation. Then connect to the Linux installation system. You can enable X11 forwarding in your SSH client when you connect.

For example, with OpenSSH enter the following in a terminal window on your workstation:

ssh -X install@linuxvm.example.com

Replace linuxvm.example.com with the hostname or IP address of the system you are installing. The -X option (the capital letter X) enables X11 forwarding.

18.3.2. Installation using X11

The direct connection from the X11 client to an X11 server on your local workstation requires an IP connection from your System z to your workstation. If the network and firewalls prevent such connections, use X11 forwarding or VNC instead.

The graphical installation program requires the DNS and hostname to be set correctly, and the Linux installation system must be allowed to open applications on your display. You can ensure this by setting the parameter display=workstationname:0.0 in the parameter file, where workstationname is the hostname of the client workstation connecting to the Linux image. Alternatively, you can set the display environment variable and run loader manually after having logged in with SSH as user root. By default you log in as user install. This starts the loader automatically and does not allow overriding the display environment variable.

To permit X11 clients to open applications on the X11 server on your workstation, use the xauth command. To manage X11 authorization cookies with xauth, you must log in to the Linux installation system using SSH as user root. For details on xauth and how to manage authorization cookies, refer to the xauth manpage.

In contrast to setting up X11 authorizations with xauth, you can use xhost to permit the Linux installation system to connect to the X11 server:

xhost +linuxvm

Replace linuxvm with the hostname or IP address of the Linux installation system. This allows linuxvm to make connections to the X11 server.

If the graphical installation does not begin automatically, verify the display= variable settings in the parameter file. If performing an installation under z/VM, rerun the installation to load the new parameter file on the reader.

18.3.3. Installation using VNC

Using VNC is recommended for slow or long-distance network connections. To use VNC, disable X11 forwarding in your SSH client prior to connecting to the temporary Linux installation system. The loader will then provide a choice between text-mode and VNC; choose VNC here. Alternatively, provide the vnc variable and optionally the vncpassword variable in your parameter file (refer to Section 26.4, “VNC and X11 Parameters” for details).

A message on the workstation SSH terminal prompts you to start the VNC client viewer and provides details about the VNC display specifications. Enter the specifications from the SSH terminal into the VNC client viewer and connect to the temporary Linux installation system to begin the installation. Refer to Chapter 31, Installing Through VNC for details.

18.3.4. Installation using a VNC listener

To connect from your temporary Linux installation system to a VNC client running on your workstation in listening mode, use the vncconnect option in your parameter file, in addition to the options vnc and optionally vncpassword. The network and firewalls must allow an IP connection from your temporary Linux installation to your workstation.

To have the temporary Linux installation system automatically connect to a VNC client, first start the client in listening mode. On Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems, use the -listen option to run vncviewer as a listener. In a terminal window, enter the command:

18.3.5. Automating the Installation with Kickstart

You can allow an installation to run unattended by using Kickstart. A Kickstart file specifies settings for an installation. Once the installation system boots, it can read a Kickstart file and carry out the installation process without any further input from a user.

On System z, this also requires a parameter file (optionally an additional configuration file under z/VM). This parameter file must contain the required network options described in Section 26.3, “Installation Network Parameters” and specify a kickstart file using the ks= option. The kickstart file typically resides on the network. The parameter file often also contains the options cmdline and RUNKS=1 to execute the loader without having to log in over the network with SSH (Refer to Section 26.6, “Parameters for Kickstart Installations”).

18.3.5.1. Every Installation Produces a Kickstart File

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation process automatically writes a Kickstart file that contains the settings for the installed system. This file is always saved as /root/anaconda-ks.cfg. You may use this file to repeat the installation with identical settings, or modify copies to specify settings for other systems.

[9] Direct Access Storage Devices (DASDs) are hard disks that allow a maximum of three partitions per device. For example, dasda can have partitions dasda1, dasda2, and dasda3.

[10]
Using the SCSI-over-Fibre Channel device driver (zfcp device driver) and a switch, SCSI LUNs can be presented to Linux on System z as if they were locally attached SCSI drives.

Chapter 19. Preparing for Installation

19.1. Preparing for a Network Installation

Note

Make sure no installation DVD (or any other type of DVD or CD) is in your hosting partition's drive if you are performing a network-based installation. Having a DVD or CD in the drive might cause unexpected errors.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation medium must be available for either a network installation (via NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS) or installation via local storage. Use the following steps if you are performing an NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS installation.

The NFS, FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server to be used for installation over the network must be a separate, network-accessible server. The separate server can be a virtual machine, LPAR, or any other system (such as a Linux on Power Systems or x86 system). It must provide the complete contents of the installation DVD-ROM.

Note

The public directory used to access the installation files over FTP, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS is mapped to local storage on the network server. For example, the local directory /var/www/inst/rhel6.9 on the network server can be accessed as http://network.server.com/inst/rhel6.9.

In the following examples, the directory on the installation staging server that will contain the installation files will be specified as /location/of/disk/space. The directory that will be made publicly available via FTP, NFS, HTTP, or HTTPS will be specified as /publicly_available_directory. For example, /location/of/disk/space may be a directory you create called /var/isos. /publicly_available_directory might be /var/www/html/rhel6.9, for an HTTP install.

In the following, you will require an ISO image. An ISO image is a file containing an exact copy of the content of a DVD. To create an ISO image from a DVD use the following command:

dd if=/dev/dvd of=/path_to_image/name_of_image.iso

where dvd is your DVD drive device, name_of_image is the name you give to the resulting ISO image file, and path_to_image is the path to the location on your system where the resulting ISO image will be stored.

Extract the files from the ISO image of the installation DVD and place them in a directory that is shared over FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS.

Next, make sure that the directory is shared via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS, and verify client access. Test to see whether the directory is accessible from the server itself, and then from another machine on the same subnet to which you will be installing.

19.1.2. Preparing for an NFS Installation

For NFS installation it is not necessary to extract all the files from the ISO image. It is sufficient to make the ISO image itself, the install.img file, and optionally the product.img file available on the network server via NFS.

Transfer the ISO image to the NFS exported directory. On a Linux system, run:

mv /path_to_image/name_of_image.iso /publicly_available_directory/

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and publicly_available_directory is a directory that is available over NFS or that you intend to make available over NFS.

Use a SHA256 checksum program to verify that the ISO image that you copied is intact. Many SHA256 checksum programs are available for various operating systems. On a Linux system, run:

$ sha256sum name_of_image.iso

where name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file. The SHA256 checksum program displays a string of 64 characters called a hash. Compare this hash to the hash displayed for this particular image on the Downloads page in the Red Hat Customer Portal (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). The two hashes should be identical.

Copy the images/ directory from inside the ISO image to the same directory in which you stored the ISO image file itself. Enter the following commands:

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and mount_point is a mount point on which to mount the image while you copy files from the image. For example:

The ISO image file and an images/ directory are now present, side-by-side, in the same directory.

Verify that the images/ directory contains at least the install.img file, without which installation cannot proceed. Optionally, the images/ directory should contain the product.img file, without which only the packages for a Minimal installation will be available during the package group selection stage (refer to Section 23.17, “Package Group Selection”).

Ensure that an entry for the publicly available directory exists in the /etc/exports file on the network server so that the directory is available via NFS.

anaconda has the ability to test the integrity of the installation media. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs (many of the bugs reported are actually due to improperly-burned DVDs). To use this test, type the following command at the boot: prompt:

linux mediacheck

19.2. Preparing for a Hard Drive Installation

Use this option to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on hardware systems without a DVD drive and if you do not want to access installation phase 3 and the package repository over a network.

19.2.1. Accessing Installation Phase 3 and the Package Repository on a Hard Drive

Note

Hard drive installations using DASD or FCP-attached SCSI storage only work from native ext2, ext3, or ext4 partitions. If you have a file system based on devices other than native ext2, ext3, or ext4 (particularly a file system based on RAID or LVM partitions) you will not be able to use it as a source to perform a hard drive installation.

Hard drive installations use an ISO image of the installation DVD (a file that contains an exact copy of the content of the DVD), and an install.img file extracted from the ISO image. With these files present on a hard drive, you can choose Hard drive as the installation source when you boot the installation program.

Hard drive installations use the following files:

an ISO image of the installation DVD. An ISO image is a file that contains an exact copy of the content of a DVD.

an install.img file extracted from the ISO image.

optionally, a product.img file extracted from the ISO image.

With these files present on a hard drive, you can choose Hard drive as the installation source when you boot the installation program (refer to Section 22.4, “Installation Method”).

To prepare a DASD or FCP-attached device as an installation source, follow these steps:

Obtain an ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). Alternatively, if you have the DVD on physical media, you can create an image of it with the following command on a Linux system:

dd if=/dev/dvd of=/path_to_image/name_of_image.iso

where dvd is your DVD drive device, name_of_image is the name you give to the resulting ISO image file, and path_to_image is the path to the location on your system where the resulting ISO image will be stored.

Use a SHA256 checksum program to verify that the ISO image that you copied is intact. Many SHA256 checksum programs are available for various operating systems. On a Linux system, run:

$ sha256sum name_of_image.iso

where name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file. The SHA256 checksum program displays a string of 64 characters called a hash. Compare this hash to the hash displayed for this particular image on the Downloads page in the Red Hat Customer Portal (refer to Chapter 1, Obtaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux). The two hashes should be identical.

Copy the images/ directory from inside the ISO image to the same directory in which you stored the ISO image file itself. Enter the following commands:

where path_to_image is the path to the ISO image file, name_of_image is the name of the ISO image file, and mount_point is a mount point on which to mount the image while you copy files from the image. For example:

The ISO image file and an images/ directory are now present, side-by-side, in the same directory.

Verify that the images/ directory contains at least the install.img file, without which installation cannot proceed. Optionally, the images/ directory should contain the product.img file, without which only the packages for a Minimal installation will be available during the package group selection stage (refer to Section 23.17, “Package Group Selection”).

Important

install.img and product.img must be the only files in the images/ directory.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program can test the integrity of the installation medium. It works with the DVD, hard drive ISO, and NFS ISO installation methods. We recommend that you test all installation media before starting the installation process, and before reporting any installation-related bugs. To use this test, add the mediacheck parameter to your parameter file (refer to Section 26.7, “Miscellaneous Parameters”).

19.2.1.1. Preparing for Booting the Installer from a Hard Drive

If you would like to boot (IPL) the installer from a hard drive, in addition to accessing installation phase 3 and the package repository, you can optionally install the zipl boot loader on the same (or a different) disk. Be aware that zipl only supports one boot record per disk. If you have multiple partitions on a disk, they all “share” the disk's one boot record.

For more details on zipl.conf, refer to the chapter on zipl in Linux on System z Device Drivers, Features, and Commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

Warning

If you have an operating system installed on the disk, and you still plan to access it later on, refer the chapter on zipl in Linux on System z Device Drivers, Features, and Commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 for how to add a new entry in the zipl boot loader (that is, in zipl.conf).

Chapter 20. Booting (IPL) the Installer

The steps to perform the initial boot (IPL) of the installer depend on the environment (either z/VM or LPAR) in which Red Hat Enterprise Linux will run. For more information on booting, see the Booting Linux chapter in Linux on System z Device Drivers, Features, and Commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.

20.1. Installing Under z/VM

When installing under z/VM, you can boot from:

the z/VM virtual reader

a DASD or an FCP-attached SCSI device prepared with the zipl boot loader

an FCP-attached SCSI DVD drive

Log on to the z/VM guest virtual machine chosen for the Linux installation. You can use x3270 or c3270 (from the x3270-text package in Red Hat Enterprise Linux) to log in to z/VM from other Linux systems. Alternatively, use the 3270 terminal emulator on the IBM System z Hardware Management Console (HMC). If you are working from a machine with a Windows operating system, Jolly Giant (http://www.jollygiant.com/) offers an SSL-enabled 3270 emulator. A free native Windows port of c3270 called wc3270 also exists.

Note

If your 3270 connection is interrupted and you cannot log in again because the previous session is still active, you can replace the old session with a new one by entering the following command on the z/VM logon screen:

logon user here

Replace user with the name of the z/VM guest virtual machine. Depending on whether an external security manager, for example RACF, is used, the logon command might vary.

If you are not already running CMS (single user operating system shipped with z/VM) in your guest, boot it now by entering the command:

#cp ipl cms

Be sure not to use CMS disks such as your A disk (often device number 0191) as installation targets. To find out which disks are in use by CMS use the following query:

query disk

You can use the following CP (z/VM Control Program, which is the z/VM hypervisor) query commands to find out about the device configuration of your z/VM guest virtual machine:

Query the available main memory, which is called storage in System z terminology. Your guest should have at least 512 megabytes of main memory.

Optionally check whether the files were transferred correctly by using the CMS command filelist to show the received files and their format. It is important that kernel.img and initrd.img have a fixed record length format denoted by F in the Format column and a record length of 80 in the Lrecl column. For example:

20.1.2. Using a Prepared DASD

Boot from the prepared DASD and select the zipl boot menu entry referring to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installer. Use a command of the following form:

cp ipl DASD device number loadparm boot_entry_number

Replace DASD device number with the device number of the boot device, and boot_entry_number with the zipl configuration menu for this device. For example:

cp ipl eb1c loadparm 0

20.1.3. Using a Prepared FCP-attached SCSI Disk

Perform the following steps to boot from a prepared FCP-attached SCSI disk:

Configure the SCSI boot loader of z/VM to access the prepared SCSI disk in the FCP storage area network. Select the prepared zipl boot menu entry referring to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installer. Use a command of the following form:

cp set loaddev portname WWPN lun LUN bootprog boot_entry_number

Replace WWPN with the WWPN of the storage system and LUN with the LUN of the disk. The 16-digit hexadecimal numbers must be split into two pairs of eight digits each. For example:

Configure the SCSI boot loader of z/VM to access the DVD drive in the FCP storage area network and specify 1 for the boot entry on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux for System z DVD. Use a command of the following form:

cp set loaddev portname WWPN lun FCP_LUN bootprog 1

Replace WWPN with the WWPN of the FCP-to-SCSI bridge and FCP_LUN with the LUN of the DVD drive. The 16-digit hexadecimal numbers must be split into two pairs of eight characters each. For example:

20.2. Installing in an LPAR

a DASD or an FCP-attached SCSI drive prepared with the zipl boot loader

an FCP-attached SCSI DVD drive

Perform these common steps first:

Log in on the IBM System z Hardware Management Console (HMC) or the Support Element (SE) as a user with sufficient privileges to install a new operating system to an LPAR. The SYSPROG user is recommended.

Select Images, then select the LPAR to which you wish to install. Use the arrows in the frame on the right side to navigate to the CPC Recovery menu.

Double-click Operating System Messages to show the text console on which Linux boot messages will appear and potentially user input will be required. Refer to the chapter on booting Linux in Linux on System z Device Drivers, Features, and Commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and the Hardware Management Console Operations Guide, order number [SC28-6857], for details.

Continue with the procedure for your installation source.

20.2.1. Using an FTP Server

Double-click Load from CD-ROM, DVD, or Server.

In the dialog box that follows, select FTP Source, and enter the following information: Host Computer: Hostname or IP address of the FTP server you wish to install from (for example, ftp.redhat.com) User ID: Your user name on the FTP server (or anonymous) Password: Your password (use your email address if you are logging in as anonymous) Account (optional): Leave this field empty File location (optional): Directory on the FTP server holding Red Hat Enterprise Linux for System z (for example, /rhel/s390x/)

Click Continue.

In the dialog that follows, keep the default selection of generic.ins and click Continue.

20.2.2. Using the HMC or SE DVD Drive

Double-click Load from CD-ROM, DVD, or Server.

In the dialog box that follows, select Local CD-ROM / DVD then click Continue.

In the dialog that follows, keep the default selection of generic.ins then click Continue.

20.2.3. Using a Prepared DASD

Double-click Load.

In the dialog box that follows, select Normal as the Load type.

As Load address fill in the device number of the DASD.

As Load parameter fill in the number corresponding the zipl boot menu entry that you prepared for booting the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installer.

Click the OK button.

20.2.4. Using a Prepared FCP-attached SCSI Disk

Double-click Load.

In the dialog box that follows, select SCSI as the Load type.

As Load address fill in the device number of the FCP channel connected with the SCSI disk.

As World wide port name fill in the WWPN of the storage system containing the disk as a 16-digit hexadecimal number.

As Logical unit number fill in the LUN of the disk as a 16-digit hexadecimal number.

As Boot program selector fill in the number corresponding the zipl boot menu entry that you prepared for booting the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installer.

Leave the Boot record logical block address as 0 and the Operating system specific load parameters empty.

Click the OK button.

20.2.5. Using an FCP-attached SCSI DVD Drive

This requires to have a SCSI DVD drive attached to an FCP-to-SCSI bridge which is in turn connected to an FCP adapter in your System z machine. The FCP adapter has to be configured and available in your LPAR.

As Load address fill in the device number of the FCP channel connected with the FCP-to-SCSI bridge.

As World wide port name fill in the WWPN of the FCP-to-SCSI bridge as a 16-digit hexadecimal number.

As Logical unit number fill in the LUN of the DVD drive as a 16-digit hexadecimal number.

As Boot program selector fill in the number 1 to select the boot entry on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux for System z DVD.

Leave the Boot record logical block address as 0 and the Operating system specific load parameters empty.

Click the OK button.

Chapter 21. Installation Phase 1: Configuring a Network Device

After the kernel boot, you will configure one network device using the linuxrc program. This network device is needed to complete the installation. If you are installing interactively (with the default parameter file generic.prm), you will be asked questions about your network. It is a good idea to have your data ready in the form of a datasheet or similar. If you want to automate this step, supply the information for each option in your parameter file or CMS configuration file.

As an example, let us look at how to configure an OSA network adapter under z/VM. When linuxrc starts, you see the following message:

Starting the zSeries initrd to configure networking. Version is 1.2Starting udev...

Network devices are sensed and listed. The list of devices depends on the cio_ignore kernel parameter used. If no devices are found because of cio_ignore, as in the example below, you can clear the list of ignored devices. Note that this might take some time and result in a long list when there are many devices, such as on an LPAR.

Enter the number of the configuration you want to use, for example 9. Selecting from the table provides the installer with information for the type of network device and the device addresses for its subchannels. Alternatively, you can enter m and proceed to enter the network type (qeth), the read, write, data channels, and the OSA port. Accept defaults by pressing Enter; under z/VM you might need to press Enter twice.

If you want to change something, enter r to restart the dialog. To show the parameters as specified in a parameter or configuration file or interactively enter p. You can then copy the output from your terminal and paste it into an editor to save it to disk on your local workstation. You can use the copy as a template for a parameter or configuration file for future installations:

Again, to change something, restart the dialog with r. Finally, if all is in order, enter c to continue:

cStarting sshd to allow login over the network.Connect now to 10.0.0.42 and log in as user 'install' to start theinstallation.E.g. using: ssh -x install@10.0.0.42For VNC or text mode, disable X11 forwarding (recommended) with 'ssh -x'.For X11, enable X11 forwarding with 'ssh -X'.You may log in as the root user to start an interactive shell.

The preliminary network setup is now complete and the installer starts an SSH daemon. You can log into your Linux instance over SSH. If you are using RUNKS=1 with kickstart and cmdline mode, linuxrc automatically starts the loader.

21.1. A Note on Terminals

During the installation, the installation program displays messages on a line-mode terminal. This is the HMC Operating System Messages applet if you install under LPAR, or a 3270 terminal if you install under z/VM.

Linuxrc provides a rescue shell on the line-mode terminal. Press the Enter key (twice under z/VM) to start the shell. You cannot use full-screen applications such as the vi editor on the line-mode terminal. Switch to line-mode based editors such as ed, ex, or sed to edit text files if necessary.

Be aware that long-running commands might not be interruptible with the escape sequence Ctrl+C. Call commands with options that make them return in time voluntarily. The shell on the 3270 terminal is available throughout the whole installation process until the point where the system needs to reboot.

Once the shell has been provided, you may exit with an error level of zero to get a new shell instance replacing the old one, or you may exit with an error level different from zero to force a shutdown of the installation system.

Connect to the installed system using user root to get a root shell without automatically starting the installer. For problem determination, you might connect with many ssh sessions.

Before the graphical installation program starts, you need to configure the language and installation source.

By default, if you are installing interactively (with the default parameter file generic.prm) the loader program to select language and installation source starts in text mode. In your new ssh session, the following message is displayed:

Window — Windows (usually referred to as dialogs in this manual) appear on your screen throughout the installation process. At times, one window may overlay another; in these cases, you can only interact with the window on top. When you are finished in that window, it disappears, allowing you to continue working in the window underneath.

Checkbox — Checkboxes allow you to select or deselect a feature. The box displays either an asterisk (selected) or a space (unselected). When the cursor is within a checkbox, press Space to select or deselect a feature.

Text Input — Text input lines are regions where you can enter information required by the installation program. When the cursor rests on a text input line, you may enter and/or edit information on that line.

Text Widget — Text widgets are regions of the screen for the display of text. At times, text widgets may also contain other widgets, such as checkboxes. If a text widget contains more information than can be displayed in the space reserved for it, a scroll bar appears; if you position the cursor within the text widget, you can then use the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through all the information available. Your current position is shown on the scroll bar by a # character, which moves up and down the scroll bar as you scroll.

Scroll Bar — Scroll bars appear on the side or bottom of a window to control which part of a list or document is currently in the window's frame. The scroll bar makes it easy to move to any part of a file.

Button Widget — Button widgets are the primary method of interacting with the installation program. You progress through the windows of the installation program by navigating these buttons, using the Tab and Enter keys. Buttons can be selected when they are highlighted.

22.2.1. Using the Keyboard to Navigate

Navigation through the installation dialogs is performed through a simple set of keystrokes. To move the cursor, use the Left, Right, Up, and Down arrow keys. Use Tab, and Shift-Tab to cycle forward or backward through each widget on the screen. Along the bottom, most screens display a summary of available cursor positioning keys.

To "press" a button, position the cursor over the button (using Tab, for example) and press Space or Enter. To select an item from a list of items, move the cursor to the item you wish to select and press Enter. To select an item with a checkbox, move the cursor to the checkbox and press Space to select an item. To deselect, press Space a second time.

Pressing F12 accepts the current values and proceeds to the next dialog; it is equivalent to pressing the OK button.

Warning

Unless a dialog box is waiting for your input, do not press any keys during the installation process (doing so may result in unpredictable behavior).

The language you select here will become the default language for the operating system once it is installed. Selecting the appropriate language also helps target your time zone configuration later in the installation. The installation program tries to define the appropriate time zone based on what you specify on this screen.

22.4. Installation Method

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select an installation method (refer to Figure 22.4, “Installation Method”). With your selected method highlighted, press the Tab key to move to the OK button and press the Enter key to confirm your choice.

The installation program then probes your system and attempts to identify your DVD-ROM drive. It starts by looking for a SCSI DVD-ROM drive.

Note

To abort the installation process at this time, reboot your machine and then eject the boot media. You can safely cancel the installation at any point before the Write changes to disk screen. Refer to Section 23.16, “Write Changes to Disk” for more information.

If the DVD drive is found and the driver loaded, the installer presents you with the option to perform a media check on the DVD. This takes some time, and you may opt to skip over this step. However, if you later encounter problems with the installer, you should reboot and perform the media check before calling for support. From the media check dialog, continue to the next stage of the installation process (refer to Section 23.5, “Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux”).

22.4.2. Installing from a Hard Drive

The Select Partition screen applies only if you are installing from a disk partition (that is, you selected Hard Drive in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog allows you to name the disk partition and directory from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=hd boot option, you already specified a partition.

Figure 22.5. Selecting Partition Dialog for Hard Drive Installation

Select the partition containing the ISO files from the list of available partitions. DASD names begin with /dev/dasd. Each individual drive has its own letter, for example /dev/dasda or /dev/sda. Each partition on a drive is numbered, for example /dev/dasda1 or /dev/sda1.

Also specify the Directory holding images. Enter the full directory path from the drive that contains the ISO image files. The following table shows some examples of how to enter this information:

Table 22.1. Location of ISO images for different partition types

File system

Mount point

Original path to files

Directory to use

ext2, ext3, ext4

/home

/home/user1/RHEL6.9

/user1/RHEL6.9

If the ISO images are in the root (top-level) directory of a partition, enter a /. If the ISO images are located in a subdirectory of a mounted partition, enter the name of the directory holding the ISO images within that partition. For example, if the partition on which the ISO images is normally mounted as /home/, and the images are in /home/new/, you would enter /new/.

22.4.3. Performing a Network Installation

The installation program is network-aware and can use network settings for a number of functions. On System z, installation phases 2 and 3 take over the network configuration values specified previously either interactively or by means of a parameter or configuration file in installation phase 1. You can also instruct the installation program to consult additional software repositories later in the process.

22.4.4. Installing via NFS

The NFS dialog applies only if you selected NFS Image in the Installation Method dialog. If you used the repo=nfs boot option, you already specified a server and path.

Figure 22.6. NFS Setup Dialog

Enter the domain name or IP address of your NFS server in the NFS server name field. For example, if you are installing from a host named eastcoast in the domain example.com, enter eastcoast.example.com.

Enter the name of the exported directory in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.9 directory field:

If the NFS server is exporting a mirror of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation tree, enter the directory which contains the root of the installation tree. If everything was specified properly, a message appears indicating that the installation program for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is running.

If the NFS server is exporting the ISO image of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux DVD, enter the directory which contains the ISO image.

Specify any NFS mount options that you require in the NFS mount options field. Refer to the man pages for mount and nfs for a comprehensive list of options. If you do not require any mount options, leave the field empty.

22.4.5. Installing via FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS

Important

When you provide a URL to an installation source, you must explicitly specify http:// or https:// or ftp:// as the protocol.

The URL dialog applies only if you are installing from a FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server (if you selected URL in the Installation Method dialog). This dialog prompts you for information about the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server from which you are installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you used the repo=ftp or repo=http boot options, you already specified a server and path.

Enter the name or IP address of the FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS site from which you are installing, and the name of the directory that contains the /images directory for your architecture. For example:

/mirrors/redhat/rhel-6.9/Server/s390x/

To install via a secure HTTPS connection, specify https:// as the protocol.

Specify the address of a proxy server, and if necessary, provide a port number, username, and password. If everything was specified properly, a message box appears indicating that files are being retrieved from the server.

If your FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server requires user authentication, specify user and password as part of the URL as follows:

22.5. Verifying Media

The DVD offers an option to verify the integrity of the media. Recording errors sometimes occur while producing DVD media. An error in the data for package chosen in the installation program can cause the installation to abort. To minimize the chances of data errors affecting the installation, verify the media before installing.

If the verification succeeds, the installation process proceeds normally. If the process fails, create a new DVD using the ISO image you downloaded earlier.

22.6. Retrieving Phase 3 of the Installation Program

The loader then retrieves phase 3 of the installation program from the network into its RAM disk. This may take some time.

Figure 22.8. Retrieving phase 3 of the installation program

Chapter 23. Installation Phase 3: Installing Using Anaconda

This chapter describes an installation using the graphical user interface of anaconda.

23.1. The Non-interactive Line-Mode Text Installation Program Output

If the cmdline option was specified as boot option in your parameter file (Refer to Section 26.6, “Parameters for Kickstart Installations”) or in your kickstart file (refer to Chapter 32, Kickstart Installations), anaconda starts with line-mode oriented text output. In this mode, all necessary information must be provided in the kickstart file. The installer will not allow user interaction and stops if there is unspecified installation information.

23.2. The Text Mode Installation Program User Interface

While text mode installations are not explicitly documented, those using the text mode installation program can easily follow the GUI installation instructions. However, because text mode presents you with a simpler, more streamlined installation process, certain options that are available in graphical mode are not also available in text mode. These differences are noted in the description of the installation process in this guide, and include:

23.3. The Graphical Installation Program User Interface

If you have used a graphical user interface (GUI) before, you are already familiar with this process; use your mouse to navigate the screens, click buttons, or enter text fields.

You can also navigate through the installation using the keyboard. The Tab key allows you to move around the screen, the Up and Down arrow keys to scroll through lists, + and - keys expand and collapse lists, while Space and Enter selects or removes from selection a highlighted item. You can also use the Alt+X key command combination as a way of clicking on buttons or making other screen selections, where X is replaced with any underlined letter appearing within that screen.

23.4. Configure the Install Terminal

If you logged in with ssh and X11 forwarding, anaconda starts immediately with its graphical user interface.

If you did not set the display= variable and do not use X11 forwarding, anaconda gives you the choice of starting VNC or text mode.

Figure 23.1. Choosing VNC or text mode

If you choose VNC, you will be asked for a password or you can choose to use VNC without a password. If you use a password, make a note of the password for future reference. The VNC server then starts.

Figure 23.2. The VNC server starts

Now open a connection to the IP address of your z/VM guest virtual machine using a VNC client. Authenticate to the VNC server with the previously entered password.

23.5. Welcome to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

The Welcome screen does not prompt you for any input.

Figure 23.3. The Welcome screen

Click on the Next button to continue.

23.6. Storage Devices

You can install Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a large variety of storage devices. For System z, select Specialized Storage Devices

Storage area networks (SANs) such as FCP-attachable SCSI LUNs with a single path

Use the Specialized Storage Devices option to configure Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) connections. You cannot use the FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) option on System z; this option is grayed out.

Note

Monitoring of LVM and software RAID devices by the mdeventd daemon is not performed during installation.

23.6.1. The Storage Devices Selection Screen

The storage devices selection screen displays all storage devices to which anaconda has access.

Devices are grouped under the following tabs:

Basic Devices

Basic storage devices directly connected to the local system, such as hard disk drives and solid-state drives. On System z, this contains activated DASDs.

Firmware RAID

Storage devices attached to a firmware RAID controller. This does not apply to System z.

Multipath Devices

Storage devices accessible through more than one path, such as through multiple SCSI controllers or Fiber Channel ports on the same system.

Important

The installer only detects multipath storage devices with serial numbers that are 16 or 32 characters in length.

Other SAN Devices

Any other devices available on a storage area network (SAN) such as FCP LUNs attached over one single path.